Government College Kottayam, established in 1972 is situated in a beautiful campus on the outskirts of Kottayam, Kerala's City of Letters. It is the only government-owned Arts and Science College in Kottayam district and functions under the Department of Collegiate Education. The college is affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam and is recognized under the 2(f) and 12(B) schedules of the University Grants Commission. The College was re-accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with 'A' Grade in 2016, and placed in the 100 – 150 band in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) in 2022.
Government College Kottayam had a humble beginning with three Pre-Degree and undergraduate (UG) courses. Eventually, the college has emerged as one of the most prominent higher education institutions in Central Kerala. The College has a land area of 15.5 acres and a built-up area of over 2 lakhs square feet. Presently, the college offers 10 UG and five post graduate (PG) programmes. Over 1200 students, out of which 70% are girls, are studying and more than 100 staff members are working in the College.
Government College Kottayam has six research centres. The Interdisciplinary Research Centre of the college has a Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facility (SAIF) comprising advanced research instruments worth more than 2 crores rupees. The college has a state-of-the-art Library, a Geology Museum, which is the largest one in Kerala, and a well-furnished Aquarium House. Other important facilities include smart classrooms, well-equipped science labs, Social Science Research Centre, Centre for Advanced Computing, Material Research Labs, Microbiology Lab, Geomatics and Petrology Research Labs, Language Lab, Centralized Computer Centre, well-equipped Fitness Centre, hostel facilities for girls and boys, etc.
In 2022, Government College Kottayam completed its 50th year of dedicated service in the field of higher education, soaring higher ever, in terms of both infrastructure and quality output. Three new buildings viz. academic ‘D’ block, administrative block and Library block started functioning in this year. All the buildings are provided with round the clock wi-fi facility. The college implemented a well-developed barrier-free environment, specifically designed for differently abled students and teachers. As part of its sustainable eco-friendly practices, the college installed solar power plants and initiated steps to build a social forestry in a land area of 2-acres. In its Golden Jubilee Year, the college designed its institutional development plan for the next 10 years, which envisages designing new generation courses to meet global needs, starting more innovative academic and research programmes, strengthening the SAIF, establishing industry-institute collaborations, developing research incubation centres, signing MoU’s with reputed institutions inside and outside the country that encompass student and faculty exchange programmes, etc.
Milestones
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AUGUST 1972 |
College started functioning in a building of Government Polytechnic, Nattakom. |
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OCTOBER 1972 |
College formally inaugurated by Sri. C. Achutha Menon, Hon. Chief Minister of Kerala. |
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MARCH 1974 |
Pre degree classes shifted to the semi-permanent building constructed in the campus. |
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MARCH 1976 |
Foundation stone laid for ‘A’ Block |
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JUNE 1976 |
B.Sc. Geology started. |
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JUNE 1977 |
B.Com. and Pre-degree Group IV started. |
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JUNE 1978 |
‘A’ Block completed. Degree classes and office shifted to the building. |
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AUGUST 1979 |
Shift-system introduced to Pre-degree courses. |
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FEBRUARY 1980 |
‘A’ Block formally inaugurated by Shri. Baby John, Hon. Minister for Education. |
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SEPTEMBER 1981 |
B.Sc. Physics and B.Sc. Botany started. |
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NOVEMBER 1981 |
M.A. Economics started. |
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JUNE 1983 |
Foundation stone for ‘B’ Block laid by Sri. T.M. Jacob, Hon. Minister for Education. |
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JUNE 1984 |
M.Sc. Geology started. |
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SEPTEMBER 1987 |
Sri. K. Chandrasekharan, Hon. Minister for Education inaugurated the ‘B’ Block of the college. |
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SEPTEMBER 1988 |
College Development Council (CDC) constituted by the Government of Kerala. |
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FEBRUARY 1992 |
Sri. E.T. Mohammed Basheer, Hon. Minister for Education inaugurated the College Auditorium. |
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MARCH 1997 |
Silver Jubilee Celebrated. |
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MARCH 1997 |
Foundation stone for ‘C’ Block laid. |
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JULY 1998 |
M.Sc. Physics and B.Sc. Industrial Chemistry started. |
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DECEMBER 1999 |
B.Sc. Zoology started. |
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MARCH 2004 |
Constructed Aquarium House. |
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MARCH 2004 |
Construction of Ladies’ Hostel started. |
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MAY 2004 |
B.Sc. Industrial Chemistry (Vocational Model II) programme regularized. |
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DECEMBER 2006 |
Language Lab started functioning. |
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DECEMBER 2007 |
Sri. M. A. Baby, Hon. Minister for Education inaugurated ‘C’ Block of the college. |
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JUNE 2009 |
Choice base credit and semester system (CBCSS) was introduced for undergraduate programmes. |
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SEPTEMBER 2008 |
Accredited with ‘B’ grade by the NAAC |
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FEBRUARY 2012 |
Sri. Abdu Rubb, Hon. Minister for Education inaugurated Ladies’ hostel. |
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JULY 2012 |
Started M. Com, MA Political Science & BA English programmes. |
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SEPTEMBER 2014 |
Community College started functioning. |
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NOVEMBER 2015 |
Received DST-FIST assistance. |
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SEPTEMBER 2016 |
Reaccredited with ‘A’ grade by the NAAC |
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SEPTEMBER 2017 |
Government of Kerala allotted rupees 2 crores for the construction of Research Block |
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OCTOBER 2017 |
Prof. C. Raveendranath, Hon. Minister for Education inaugurated Physics Research Centre. |
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NOVEMBER 2017 |
Received RUSA Fund support |
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FEBRUARY 2018 |
Conducted ‘Shastrayaan’, a State Level Exhibition and Outreach programme. |
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MARCH 2018 |
Government of Kerala allotted rupees 3 crores for the construction of Library Block |
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MAY 2018 |
Government of Kerala allotted rupees 8.22 crores for the construction of new Academic Block. |
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OCTOBER 2018 |
Government of Kerala allotted 5 crore rupees for the Construction of a new Ladies’ Hostel |
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SEPTEMBER 2018 |
Government of Kerala allotted 2 crore rupees for the construction of Administration Block |
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DECEMBER 2019 |
Barrier Free Campus Scheme implemented. |
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SEPTEMBER 2020 |
Interdisciplinary Research Centre started functioning and Centralized Instrumentation Facility upgraded. |
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JANUARY 2021 |
M. Sc. Industrial Chemistry Programme started. |
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FEBRUARY 2021 |
Hon. Chief Minister of Kerala laid Foundation Stone for New Buildings. |
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JANURAY 2022 |
Dr. R. Bindhu, Hon. Minister for Higher Education inaugurated new Research block. |
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JUNE 2022 |
Green Campus initiatives implemented. |
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APRIL 2023 |
Dr. R. Bindhu, Hon. Minister for Higher Education inaugurated Golden Jubilee celebrations and new buildings. |
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APRIL 2023 |
Smt. V. Vigneshwari IAS, Director of Collegiate Education inaugurated Modernized Industrial chemistry lab and Geology Rock Garden. |