Karmela Rani Teachers Training College

Karmela Rani Training College, Kollam, founded in 1960 by the late Bishop of Quilon Rt. Rev. Dr. Jerome M. Fernandez, is a Teacher Education institution offering Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree course in 7 disciplines and post graduate degree course in education (M.Ed.).

On July 16 every year, Catholics across the globe celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Karmela Rani. And it was on 16th of July, 1960 that the intimation from the Registrar regarding the approval of application for starting the college was received. Hence Bishop Jerome, the founder chose this name for the College.

The considerable provision for educational expansion in the second and third plan required for their implementation a large army of well trained teachers. The steady increase in the number of high schools and the Government's insistence on the pre-service training created a need for further increasing the number of training colleges. The corporate managements like that of the Diocese of Quilon, with a large number of middle and High schools under them felt the need to make their own provision for training teachers for their institutions.

Till 1957 there existed fifteen training colleges in the whole of Kerala. Owing to the unprecedented increase in the number of applications received in training colleges, the existing policy of the University not to sanction the opening of any more training colleges came for reconsideration early in 1960. Accordingly, University entertained a few applications for opening new training colleges in areas not adequately served by the existing institutions.

H.E. Rt. Rev. Dr. Jerome Fernandez, with his unending academic zeal and indomitable courage took the historic step to obtain sanction for starting a training college in Quilon. The Bishop, the great visionary felt that it is not enough to have a number of schools and higher education institution like Fatima Mata National college but it was more urgent to have well qualified teachers from among the members of the community to run these institutions and improve their academic climate. Thus was born Karmela Rani Training College which started working on August 1, 1960. It was opened with a prayer service and blessing by his Lordship with the presence of a large number of the citizens of Quilon.

The college was housed in the eastern wing of the F.M.N college building. Dr. P. S. Abraham, the retired registrar of the University of Kerala, was its first principal. After 12 years of dependency within the portals of Fatima Mata National College, the Karmela Rani training college was established independently in the Jyothi Nikethan campus on August 18th, 1972 in the beginning of the academic year.

The proximity to the railway station put the college in an advantageous position. However there were restrictions to undertake major construction in the campus for infrastructural development owing to the proximity of the railways. The considerable distance of the model school from the college also prompted the management to find a new place for the college so as to comply with the stipulation of the National Council for Teacher Education. All these paved the way for reestablishing the college in this new campus close to St. Aloysius Higher Secondary School, Kollam.

Thus in the year 2003, the college was shifted to this campus. The present campus close to St. Aloysius school was chosen on account of its proximity to the school and the conducive academic climate prevailing here. The new campus and college building were blessed and declared open by Rt. Rev. Dr. Stanley Roman, the Bishop of Quilon and Manager of Karmela Rani Training College on 16th July 2004, the feast day of Karmela Rani.

The college received approval to conduct M.Ed. Programme in 2005. M.Ed. Programme was formally inaugurated by Shri. E. T. Mohammed Basheer, Hon'ble Minister for Education on 30th January, 2006.

The new Academic block of Karmela Rani Training College was blessed on 11th June, 2007 by Rt. Rev. Dr. Stanley Roman, the Bishop of Quilon and it was inaugurated by Dr. K. K. Ramachandran, the Vice-chancellor of the University of Kerala.

The college is a Christian backward minority institution run by the Latin Catholic Diocese of Quilon facilitated and assisted by Quilon Latin Catholic Diocese Educational Development Council. The members of the Managing Board assist the Manager in promoting the interests of the institution.

The college is affiliated to the University of Kerala and is recognized by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). The aim of the college is to send into the field of Education in India, teachers who are intelligent, spiritually vigorous, cultured, healthy, vocationally prepared, social minded and committed to the cause of Indian Education in whatever sphere they may serve God and Country. The motto of our college is "True Light Enlighteneth".

Emblem of the College

The Emblem of the college is in the form of a shield with a Crown studded with twelve stars and flying flags on the top and bottom with the name of the college and the motto engraved on them respectively. The shield pictures a traditional lamp, placed on a hill top, which is enlightened by two hands symbolizing the lighting of the lamp of knowledge to remove the darkness of ignorance. It reminds the words of Gospel: "You are the light for the whole world. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead he puts it on the lamp stand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. In the same way, your light must shine before people…."(John: 5:14). The dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit who illumines the mind, with the divine ray and the alphabet 'M' inside a star stands for Blessed Mother Mary who is acclaimed as the Morning star.

Vision & Philosophy of the College

We affirm faith in God who is the source of all wisdom and knowledge.

We follow the model of the Master Teacher Jesus Christ who taught humanity the supreme ideals through his words and deeds and that of Mother Mary who gave humanity the True light of the world.

We believe that teaching is a selfless service and commitment that can augment nation building.

We profess that transformation of the individual and society is to be attained through the formation of the personality rather than through mere transfer of information.

We pursue the task of imparting quality education to the student - teachers to enable them to become professionally competent, academically innovative and socially committed teachers.

We aim at excellence in all educational endeavors.

We seek to render services to the community through social extension activities, educational guidance and conscientization.

Mission of the College

The following objects constitute the mission of the college.

• To transmit the Christian Spiritual, Moral, Cultural, Educational and Religious heritage and ethics through the Educative process.
• To transact all curricular and co-curricular activities in view of the integral development of the personality of students.
• To provide professional education and training in multi skill enhancement to prospective teachers who will contribute to national development with global outlook.
• To orient the students to attain required competence and refinement through innovative practices, educational technology and ICT enabled strategies and remedial coaching programmes.
• To promote relevant academic ventures and research activities for contributing to the common fund of knowledge.
• To extend educational guidance and professional assistance to neighbourhood schools and communities.
• To co-operate in the common effort to uplift the socially and educationally backward Christian Minority Community of Latin Catholic through education and training.

Values

Our value system revolves around the following:

• Faith in God
• Character Formation
• Communal Harmony
• Universal Brotherhood
• Social Commitment
• Personal Integration
• National Development