Sri Pratap College
Sri Pratap College, commonly known as SP College, is an academic and professional college in Kashmir. It is the oldest institute of higher education in Kashmir.[2]
 Ad Aethera Tendens | |
| Motto | Ad Aethera Tendens |
|---|---|
Motto in English | Fly high and higher |
| Type | Science College |
| Established | 1905 |
| Founder | Annie Besant |
| Vice-Chancellor | Prof. Sheikh Javed |
| Principal | Dr. Khursheed Ahmad Khan |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Urban, 24.2 acres[1] |
| Language | English & Urdu |
| Colours | |
| Affiliations | University of the Punjab (1912–1947)
Banaras Hindu University (1948–1955) University of Kashmir (1956–2017) Cluster University of Srinagar (2017 – present) |
| Sports | Cricket, Volley Ball, Basket Ball, Foot Ball, Badminton |
| Website | www |
History
Established in 1905[4] by Annie Besant for the then ruler of Jammu and Kashmir Shri Maharaja Pratap Singh. Before Indian independence, the college was affiliated with University of Punjab and post independence Banaras Hindu University gave affiliation to S.P. college until the University of Kashmir was founded in 1956.[5] It was established in 1905, as an intermediate college by upgrading the famous Hindu High School, Srinagar. It was the personal effort of notable British Social Reformer and educationist, Annie Besant who directed the Central Hindu College Trust, Banaras(to which it was affiliated) to appoint, Mr M.U. Moore, a noted Irish Scholar as the first Principal of the institution. Beginning with a modest roll of eight students and only six teachers on its staff, in a few years' time, the college rose to the degree level in Arts by 1911 when state govt. took it over and renamed it as Sri Pratap College after the name of the then ruler of the state Maharaja Pratap Singh. In 1912 the college was affiliated to the University of Punjab, Lahore with the state patronage available to it by virtue of which the growth of S.P College received a notable fillip. Ever since, the development of the college has been a steady process through the entire span of the 20th Century.
During the tenure of Prof. I.K Sharga (1911–1921) the science stream up to intermediate level was introduced in the college curriculum.[3] The dynamic and ablest academics and administrators like Prof. M.U. Moore, Prof. Vinamali Chakaravati, Prof. I.K. Sharga, Prof. Lawrence Mac Dermot, Prof. M.M. Ibrahim, Dr. M. D. Taseer , Prof. Jia Lal Kaul and Prof. Saif ud Din have served the college and contributed to the level that the hundreds of the college alumni rose to eminence in different fields of human activity in the state and outside, by occupying important positions.[6][7]
The college has celebrated its centenary year in 2005, and in this year people from the world participated in the college function, as the different departments of the college organized different workshops and exhibitions.
The history of S.P College is, in-fact, the history of progress of higher education in Kashmir. Almost for the first half of the 20th Century, S.P. College had the distinction of being the only institution to provide facilities for imparting higher education in Arts and Sciences in the valley. Despite a good number of colleges coming into existence in the valley after 1947, this college continues to maintain its primacy and academic excellence all along. With the delinking of arts faculty from it in 1975, S.P. College is now an exclusively science college imparting science education at Undergraduate level in a broad spectrum of subjects like English, Chemistry, Botany, Zoology, Environment and Water Management, Biochemistry, Clinical Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Human Genetics, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics, Geology, Geography, Electronics, Information Technology. The college also offers add-on course in Spoken Arabic, Environmental Sciences, Communicative English, Personality Development, Physical Education, Diagnostic Lab Technology etc. The college also offers Postgraduate level programmes in various science subjects.[8][9]
The institute has been declared as a part of the cluster university of Srinagar under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan.[10] The institute shall run School of Sciences under this initiative offering more postgraduate as well as research intensive programmes.[11] With operationalization of the school of Sciences under RUSA cluster University proposal, research is expected to get a flip with more funding coming for the purpose. The infrastructure for this project is being funded by Central Government and is coming-up at brisk pace. The school is likely to start from 2017.[11]
It is worth to mention that the college got submerged in the September 2014 deluge. This resulted in huge loss of infrastructure, labs, some 60,000 books, and other support facilities.[12]
Courses
The college offers a range of nationally and internationally recognized undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in a variety of academic disciplines including Science and Information Technology. It is recognized by the University Grants Commission of India, (UGC). It is affiliated to University of Kashmir. The college offers following courses:
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Physics
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Mathematics
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Statistics
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Geology
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in I.T
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Botany
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Zoology
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Chemistry
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Water Resources & Waste Water Technology
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Electronics
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Geography
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Biotechnology
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Biochemistry
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Bioinformatics
- Six-Semester based B.Sc. in Clinical Biochemistry
- Five-Year Integrated M.SC in Chemistry
- Five-Year Integrated M.SC in Environmental Science
- Five-Year Integrated M.SC in Information Technology
- Five-Year Integrated M.SC in Water Resources & Waste Water Technology
- Five-Year Integrated M.SC in Botany
- Five-Year Integrated M.SC in Zoology
Departments
- Department of English
- Department of Biochemistry
- Department of Biotechnology
- Department of Botany
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Electronics
- Department of Environment and Water Management
- Department of Environmental Sciences
- Department of Geography
- Department of Geology
- Department of Information Technology
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Physics
- Department of Physical Education
- Department of Statistics
- Department of Zoology
IGNOU Study Centre: S.P. College IGNOU Study Centre (1209) is steaming ahead since its inception in 2004. At present, the centre provides counselling and guidance to number of UG and PG courses. During the current year, the student enrolment has touched 4000 making an increase of staggering 90% and the number of programmes offered has also risen to 39. This centre has a distinction of holding practical sessions for students in all science streams and conducting all types of examinations. This centre also holds distinction in actuating highly market oriented courses in PG Analytical Chemistry, GIS & Remote Sensing, etc.[13][14]
Postage stamp
on 15 June 2006, India Post released a commemorative postage stamp on Sri Pratap College.[15] The stamp depicted the heritage building of the college.
Notable alumni
- Sheikh Abdullah
- Agha Ashraf Ali
- Amanullah Khan
- Ghulam Hassan Khan
- Yasin Malik
- Mirza Hassan Khan
- Rehman Rahi
- Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
- Karan Singh
- Om Prakash Malhotra
- Balachandran Madathil
- Dr. Javied Bhat
- Azad Bukhari
References
- "The Annual Quality Assurance Report (AQAR)". spcollege.co.in
- [BH], RationalTabs Technologies Pvt. Ltd. "SP College M.A Road Srinagar". Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ""NAAC Document, 2015"" (PDF). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- Sri Pratap College was founded in 1905. "List of Colleges: Jammu and Kashmir". Archived from the original on 12 October 2007.
- Chitralekha Zutshi Languages of Belonging: Islam, Regional Identity, and the Making ... 2004– Page 178 "The darbar also instituted a number of college scholarships for Kashmiris to study in Lahore. Annie Besant started a Hindu College in Srinagar in 1905, which was taken over by the government in 1911 and renamed Sri Pratap College."
- The Pratap Prospectus-2016, p. 8
- [BH], RationalTabs Technologies Pvt. Ltd. "SP College M.A Road Srinagar". Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- The Pratap Prospectus- 2016
- [BH], RationalTabs Technologies Pvt. Ltd. "SP College M.A Road Srinagar". Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- "J&K to have two cluster varsities". 26 July 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2016 – via The Hindu.
- ""NAAC Document, 2015" (PDF). Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- State gets Rs 19.60 cr to replace damaged textbooks. Tribuneindia.com (28 July 2015). Retrieved on 2018-12-03.
- [BH], RationalTabs Technologies Pvt. Ltd. "SP College M.A Road Srinagar". Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- [BH], RationalTabs Technologies Pvt. Ltd. "SP College M.A Road Srinagar". Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- 2006 Stamps. Stampsofindia.com. Retrieved on 3 December 2018.