Vijayawada: SRR & CVR Govt College, a boon for middle classes

Vijayawada: The 82-year-old Sri Raja Rangayyaparao and Chunduru Venkata Reddy (SRR and CVR) Government College is the final destination for thousands of middle-class families to get a quality education. It is one of the oldest and biggest government colleges in the State and getting more popular attracting many students year after year by introducing new courses when most of the government colleges are struggling for survival.

The college, which was founded in 1937, has completed 82 years in academics and it is well known as the first Government Degree College in Krishna district. The college got autonomous status in 2017-18 and imparting 22 Undergraduate,11 Post graduation courses and 40 certificate courses. The total strength of the college is more than 2,500 and secured NAAC B Grade from the University Grants Commission.

Generally, there is a misconception that the Government institutions particularly the schools and colleges maintain low standards and students could not get a quality education. However, keeping the misconceptions at bay the SRR and CVR Government college is imparting quality education and trying to provide all-round development of students by conducting extra-curricular activities. The College Management is taking the initiative to promote sports, NSS programmes, cultural activities, personality improving classes, skill development and soft skills that are required for the placements and obtaining jobs.

During the last eight decades of its existence, the college withstood massive competition from private colleges in the 1980s and later from the corporate colleges, which were mushroomed after 2000.

Unlike many corporate colleges which give priority to academics only, the SRR and CVR Government college is trying for the all-round development of students. Several hundreds of students have enrolled their names in various sports and games and bring glory to the college as well as Vijayawada city. Compared to private colleges, the fee is very nominal at the government college, said Velaga Joshi, Principal of the College. He said the college is conducting various programmes to enhance the knowledge of students in all spheres that may help face the competition in the highly competitive world.

Digital classrooms, spacious playground with courts to play volleyball, football, badminton, kabaddi, netball, hockey and others, and support from the Government, donors and most importantly the professional faculty are attracting several hundreds of students every year.

Private telecom companies like Airtel, banks like ICICI and several pharmaceutical companies are choosing the students of SRR and CVR College and providing job opportunities during the campus interviews. A notable point is nearly 360 students of the college secured jobs in the placements conducted last year.

Special training classes like soft skills, personality development, career guidance are extremely useful to the students, said the principal. He said the college faculty members and donors are providing breakfast 'Gorumudda' to the students, who come early morning without taking any breakfast at home.

Joshi said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was attracted by the name 'Gorumudda' and is implementing in the midday meals in schools.

The Kabaddi team of the college won the first place for the sixth consecutive year in the Krishna University inter-collegiate championships. Similarly, the teams of Netball, Hockey, Football, Volleyball have achieve the good record, said Physical Director M Koteshwara Rao.

The students of the college excelled in various competitions and stood either first or second in inter-collegiate championships of the Krishna University. The players of volleyball, handball and Kabaddi also stood first in the Krishna University. The college has now shifted its attention on improving the royal game Cricket and planning to create top lass players, said the Physical Director. He said many talented players have brought laurels to the college and city.

M Hari Prasad, NSS programme officer and History lecturer said the college students take part in many service activities in the city and are actively taking part in the events organised to mark the events like International Women's Day, National Science Day, World AIDS Day amongothers.

Cultural activities organized by the college also very useful to the students to hone their skills in the cultural programmes.

It is hard to forget the stalwarts the college produced in its long innings. Former chief minister and popular actor NT Rama Rao was the student of SRR and CVR government college. He studied under the greatest scholar Viswanadha Satyanarayana who taught Telugu in the early 1940s.

Film producer Chalasani Aswani Dutt, noted physician and popular writer Dr G Samaram, former MLA K Subba Raju are some of the people who studied in this college and scaled greater heights later in their lives.

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College Principal Velaga Joshi and staff with the students, who got selected for jobs in the campus interviews held recently. (File photo).

College Principal Velaga Joshi