Narasinha Dutt College is a century-old heritage institution, situated in the industrial belt of Howrah, the twin city of Kolkata, the former capital of British-ruled India. It was the only higher education of Howrah district during the time of its inception. From the starting point of the journey, the institution has been imparting high-quality, inclusive education to society with the mission “Jnanat Parataram Nahi” (Nothing is superior knowledge). The college does not discriminate students based on socio-economic status and belief. The institution is open to all sections of society and help to achieve the dreams of the underprivileged.
Demographically, the college attracts a number of first-generation learners even from remote rural areas and migrant workers of local small- scale industrial manufacturing units. The learned faculty and skilled staff members of the college always motivate such students in their academic pursuits, explore their potential and guide them to showcase and achieve their full potential wise their capabilities. All the teachers work with focus and patience to reach this achievement. In this regard, the institution also focusses on the advanced learners of the various programs and courses offered by the college and guide them to achieve coveted careers as per their aspiration.
The institution offers a multiple stream platform at undergraduate level, with science, humanities, and commerce streams in a single college, with a peaceful academic ambience. Multilingual academic platform is another distinct character of the college, which offers undergraduate courses in a regional language (Bengali), an Indian language (Urdu), an ancient Indian language (Sanskrit) and a communicative foreign language (English). Such features have significant contribution in the achievements of the students.
Among the students in this co-educational institute, above 50 % of enrolled students are girl students, an indicator of women empowerment. In this way, the college has a defined focus on gender equity in academic sphere. Priority has always been given to the education of underprivileged students and their empowerment. For this, there are active Student Aid Fund and Welfare subcommittee, Women’s Cell, to provide help to the students.
With a well-maintained and updated central library, available e-books and e-resources, well-equipped departmental seminar libraries, book bank, the college caters to the academic needs of the students. There is a book bank adjoining the main central library of the college. All the printed resources in form of reading materials have been preserved in the college and college strictly avoids disposal and destruction of old books and maintain them as
The college boats of a highly qualified teaching faculty with more than 60% teachers with Ph.D. degrees in their respective subjects and almost 90% of the sanctioned posts are filled.
Science laboratories specially keeping in mind the safety of the students enrolled in chemistry department a centralized gas plant of LPG gas has been installed at a secluded corner from Chemistry department and the gas is supplied in the laboratories through designated pipelines.
A medicinal plant garden has been maintained in a specified corner of the college campus of both the classified categories based on life span i.e. annual, biennial and perennial. Medicinal plants belonging to herbs, shrub and trees are also in the medicinal garden.
The college enjoys an uninterrupted power back-up for all the wings of the college in case of power failure from supplying power grid. The entire college campus is wi-fi enabled with internet facilities round the clock.
Publication of newsletter “WINDOWS”, college magazine for students “PRABAHA”, student’s magazine, alumni magazine “DARPAN”, journals like JOCAS (multidisciplinary) and NDC E-BIOS (bio-science e-journal).
The college plays a role in maintaining social harmony in the local neighborhood by offering the premises for any religious function of the minority groups mainly for offering Namaaz during EID. The college also provided shelter to the homeless vagabonds of the area during lockdown imposed due to COVID 19 pandemic in 2020.
The institution has a round the year calendar for a number of outreach programs in collaboration with “AMRAGORI SOCIAL AND HUMANITARIAN ASSOCIATION” and inculcates a sense of empathy, awareness and social service inclination in the tender minds of the students to make them aware of the problems and marginalization faced by the underprivileged strata of the society. The college firmly instills the importance and necessity for the value of holistic education and empathy for the less privileged sections of society. During lockdown and in case of natural disasters like Kerala flood, and super cyclones like Amphan and Yaash, the administration has taken herculean initiative in providing relief to the affected areas by providing relief and in cases Principal personally visited the worst hit areas of Sunderbans, where students of some departments specially anthropology, carry out their field work.
Active NCC (boys and girls wing) and NSS units of the college organize outreach programs for the surrounding neighborhood within 3.5km radius of the college through annual camps and different observance days.
Environmental and health awareness programs are held in collaboration with Internal Quality Assurance Cell and Internal Complaint Cell, Women Cell, NSS, Alumni association, St John’s Ambulance, Science club
Value Education is imparted to the students through various well organized seminars, webinars, publication of booklets.
The college has an effective mentoring system prevailing in all its departments for providing differentiated personalized learning to students of varying standards.
The college takes sincere initiatives so that students of all disciplines are introduced to the modern trends of their subject through invited seminar and webinar lectures by different resource persons of global standard covering areas under National Education Policy, skill development, research methodology, health awareness and other areas of contemporary global and local issues of concern.
The college publishes wall magazines, e-magazines, encourages seminar presentations by students, arranges field trips/excursion necessary for experiential learning both within and outside syllabus of the specified programs the students are enrolled in., involves in dialogues with stakeholders through parent teacher meetings of the departments and all the departments work together in tandem under able guidance of administration for the holistic character and all round development of the future citizens of India.