Kolkata: The 114-year-old Loreto College on Tuesday received conferment of autonomous status from the University Grants Commission (UGC).The college had applied for autonomy to the UGC earlier this year, with a vision to design its own curriculum by introducing new-age courses based on market demand. Sources said a confirmation letter was sent by the UGC to the college, as well as to the higher education department and the chancellor.Sister Nirmala, the teacher-in charge of the college, said, “We are very happy that we received autonomy, which will give us the freedom to revise our curriculum, introduce new subjects that are in demand in the job market, hold exams, and release results on time. We are waiting for the formal letter to arrive, and starting tomorrow, we will begin the formalities for establishing our Board of Studies and Academic Council. The changes will be made gradually, and the transition will take at least three years to reach its full momentum.” She added, “The autonomy will also give us the freedom to implement a credit system.”The college plans to introduce new-age subjects such as AI, computer science, and BCom and BBA programmes. The college has planned to introduce a law school in the near future, along with several other contemporary subjects. They also plan to offer master’s programmes in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and political science.Calcutta University’s vice-chancellor, Asutosh Ghosh, said, “Loreto has received autonomy to run the college independently. The college has the necessary infrastructure and facilities to become autonomous, and we extended all possible support to them as required.” He also mentioned that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 promotes undergraduate colleges obtaining autonomous status or gaining full academic, administrative, and financial independence so that they can foster a research-driven ecosystem.Loreto College is one of the city’s premier institutions for women’s education and began as an extension of Loreto House. The college was founded in 1912 by the Sisters of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (IBVM)—commonly known as Loreto—a Catholic religious order established by Mary Ward in 1609.Following Loreto, the 197-year-old Scottish Church College has also applied for autonomous status and has already received a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Calcutta University in this regard.
