DACEE

Mithibai College is now affiliated to the Department of Adult and Continuing Education and Extension (DACEE) of the University of Mumbai. In its very first year of inception, 180 students from the B.A, B.Sc., B.Com & BMS streams registered for the programme. Mrs. B. D. Sarkar, Mr. S. A. Samant, Ms. Megha Prabhu & Ms. Khevana Desai coordinated the activities of the department as Extension Work Teachers. They were assisted by Student Managers –Ayushi Morarka(S.Y.B.Com), Divya Pardeshi (S.Y.B.Com), Deblina Roy(S.Y.BMS), Vishal Pathak(T.Y.B.A.), Purav Shah(T.Y.BMS) & Prajna Karkera (T.Y.BMS).The College conducted four projects viz, Career Project (CP), Industrial Oriented Project (IOP), Information Technology Project (ITP) & Population Education Club (PEC). As part of CP, a two-day Career Fair was organized on 18 & 19 Dec 2009. The students displayed in-depth information about 70 different career options through charts, presentations, brochures and more. The IOP helped many students to acquire skills associated with their prospective professions, while some of them gained proficiency in their field of activity. Ms. Ravita Kadam of T.Y.B.A- English was a feature writer for the Asian Age with her own byline. Ashwin Panikkar’s (S.Y.B.Com.) work at the Directorate of Income Tax was appreciated by the concerned department. The PEC students carried out various Community & College level activities such as the Cleanliness Drive at Juhu Beach on 4 Sept. 2009, after the Ganesh Immersion. They also performed two street plays to create awareness about the hazards of Swine Flu and the high suicide rate among the youth. ITP students reaped the double benefit of developing IT related skills and being sensitized to social issues, by analyzing information available on various sites and discussing their social impact. At the ‘Udaan’ festival organized by the University of Mumbai – DACEE, our students not only participated in the Poster Making and Skit competitions but also stood second among the 87 participating Colleges affiliated to the University of Mumbai-DACEE. All the DACEE activities for the year were successfully completed by the 125 students who found this a profoundly enriching experience. Here’s what Divya Pardeshi, an S.Y.B.Com student, had to say, “Every once in a while you come across an experience that defines you, that lets you know who you really are. DACEE was one such defining moment in my life.” This overwhelming response from the students has given instant visibility to the department which will be renamed ‘Department of Life Long Learning’ (DLLL) from the next academic year. The Principal’s unstinting support will further strengthen its efforts.