One of the most fertile regions in India, Punjab produces an important portion of India’s foodgrain and contributes a major share of the wheat and rice stock held by the Central Pool. About two-fifths of Punjab’s population is engaged in the agricultural sector, and therefore Punjab is rightly called as the “Granary of India”. However, when, over the years, the wave of pharmaceutical industry revolution swept over India, Punjab was left out; mainly because it was an agriculture-based economy. Although there were many pharmacy colleges in Punjab, there was a lack of manpower of global research standards. Completely understanding this predicament, the Khalsa College Charitable Society stepped in to fill the dearth of industrially and globally acceptable pharmaceutical manpower. Thus, Khalsa College of Pharmacy was established in 2009.
Taking inspiration from its creator, and the 125 years of educational experience it brings to the table, Khalsa College of Pharmacy strives to be the center of excellence that excels in the field of pharmaceutical education and research by constantly innovating to achieve global standards.
A scion of one of the oldest charitable educational society, the college has adopted various modern teaching-learning process by keeping students at the center. The college aims at the overall upliftment and professional growth of students while giving due consideration to the achievement of program objectives (POs). Some of the important aspects of the college’s Teaching-Learning Process are:
- Rational-thinking approach to enhance learning ability: A relevant example of this approach is the use of old Calendula flowers (used for decoration purpose in marriage and other occasions and then thrown in open drains afterwards) by the students in the evaluation of a possible spermicidal agent.
- Development of study teams: Students of different capabilities and varied interests are clubbed in a study team and are assigned certain specific tasks/assignments related to course objectives (COs). This practice goes a long way in developing an inquisitive attitude and team spirit in students and to help them look beyond the curriculum for their professional development.
- Audio-visual aids in classrooms
- Online video resources
- ICT usage: Various software are frequently employed for research purposes. Usage of important software like Magnus Pro® image analysis software, ExPharm, Chemdraw, and Sigmastat are frequently explained to students.
- Class beyond classroom: The teacher uses social network to discuss important topics that require learning beyond course content. The students are made free to explore all available online resources for getting information on the topic.
- Seminars and presentations
- Development of soft skills
Courses Offered
The college currently offers the following courses: D.Pharm, B.Pharm, and M.Pharm (Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Analysis) and Doctoral Research. The curriculum of each subject, assigned to each faculty member, is evaluated by the respective member to determine the extent to which the curriculum helps in attaining the POs of the course. Furthermore, each subject of the course is categorized into various levels based on the subject’s curriculum content and its effect on the development of a student’s intellectual ability regarding the course.
Initial deliberations of the college committee with each faculty member are carried out to outline the essential components of the COs and the POs. If the COs of a particular subject does not match the expected POs, then the concerned gaps are identified and analyzed by the college committee with the active involvement of all concerned faculty members. Remedial steps to bridge the gap (if any) are then discussed. The primary focus is on course contents involving key aspects of the subject, pertinent to the industrial usage. Appropriate decisions are then taken to initiate extra lectures/guest lectures on topics beyond syllabus or to conduct extra practical on recent advances in the old concepts.
The college delights in successful collaborations with many pharmaceutical companies by way of agreements and MOUs. The fruits of these partnerships are directly enjoyed by the students. For instance, all B.Pharm students undergo industrial training after completion of 6th semester as per course norms by the university. Some of the industrial kingpins who have helped the college for these trainings are Willmark Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd., Ramson remedies Pvt. Ltd., Kwality Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Welcure Remedies, Wockhardt Ltd., Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Adison Laboratories, Cipla Ltd., and Sri Herbasia Biotech.
It Takes A Genius to Create Another Genius
To ensure that the faculty team is always on top of the game, the college mandates regular faculty development programs that are to be attended by faculty members to enhance their professional and teaching skills. In addition, the faculty members are extensively involved in research and they are provided ample support to present their research in various national and international level conferences.
Given the care and effort that the college takes in preparing the curriculum and ensuring that the students are kept abreast of current pharmaceutical industry trends, it is no wonder that Placement Cell of the college has been successful in maintaining good placement record. From the 2018 batch alone, students have been placed with corporate giants like Sun Pharmaceuticals, Cipla, Sanofi, Emmcure, Ramson remedies, Kwality Pharma, Amandeep Hospitals, and Appolo Hospitals etc.
At the same time, the college also gives due importance to the entrepreneurial spirit of its students. The placement cell also works in close collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry for the inculcation of the quality of entrepreneurship in students. Some of the successful ventures of the Khalsa College of Pharmacy students are Addison Pharma Pvt. Ltd. by Kartik Kapur, Sanjay Biologicals Pvt. Ltd. by Chetan Malik, Aver Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. by Guneet Bhatia and Prime Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. by Kanwar Singh Uppal.
The college has always emphasized on the development of modern research facilities within the campus. Keeping this view in mind, the college has planned to develop its existing labs to world-class level. “We have planned to collaborate extensively with multinational pharmaceutical companies and other research institutions for inter-disciplinary research. Along the same lines, association with foreign universities for academic and research interaction and several conferences and seminars at National and International level has also been planned,” adds Dr. Ravi Kumar Dhawan. Khalsa College of Pharmacy also plans to equip its postgraduate students to get placed in the R&D department of multinational companies.
Khalsa College Charitable Society, Amritsar
The Khalsa College Charitable Society is the premier most management of higher learning institutes and was established by the leaders of the Singh Sabha Movement in 1890. They were inspired by the ideals of the great Gurus. They planned it to be a growing institution which would strive forever to achieve high degree of excellence of mind, body and soul for the welfare of the youth. The architectural grandeur of its buildings, especially of iconic Khalsa College, clearly demonstrate the “will & vision” of its founders. Right from the very beginning, highly intelligent, inspired and hard-working personalities have remained associated with the Society. The eminence of its teaching faculty and fascination of its well-stocked libraries, well-equipped laboratories, well-maintained playgrounds and hostels are its main attractions. A sense of greatness and beauty pervades the corridors of its campus. Thus, the Society claims pre-eminence not only for its glorious past, but also because of its visionary outlook towards the future. It finds inspiration in Great Gurus who have always advocated a progressive attitude of mind, giving up all that is dogmatic, giving due value to intelligence and logic. The Khalsa College of Pharmacy was visualized as a place of learning that would strive towards ever higher degrees of excellence in the development of the mind and spirit of youth in the pharmaceutical industry. The Society prides itself on associating with and nurturing highly intelligent, inspired and hardworking personalities. Progress is our watchword and academic achievement our measure of success. The eminence of our teaching faculty and fascination of its well-stocked infrastructure including labs, libraries and playing-fields, hostels are its main attractions. A sense of grandeur and beauty pervades the campus. The society is thus committed to providing value-based, forward-looking, modern education to build a just society and to provide the best of the technical and professional education.