Letter from the Chairman
Dear Friends,
I have been honoured to serve as chairman of the college since its inception so let me tell you how this college came into being.
The Jasmer Singh Jaijee College functions under the aegis of the Baba Nanak Educational Society. The Society is a non-sectarian, non-political, non-profit organization. Aside from running the college, it provides humanitarian assistance in rural Punjab to next of kin of suicide victims and education to the disadvantaged children of these families.
This college was the dream of my wife, the late Mrs. Daljit Jaijee, IAS, and our daughter, the late Aman Sidhu. Through the generous financial support of my brother, the late S. Jasmer Singh Jaijee, this dream became a reality. The first college building was constructed on an eight-acre campus at Village Gurney Kalan, Tehsil Lehra in District Sangrur. At that time, the college nearest the villages served by BNES was 30 kms away.
The college, which is named for its benefactor and affiliated to Punjabi University, opened its doors in 2004. It had six classrooms, a computer training hall and two rooms for administration. Enrolment in the first year was 27. Two streams were offered: Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Computer Applications.
From the beginning, The college has never taken aid from the government; it meets its expenses entirely out of fees and assistance from donors. Students belonging to suicide-affected families are admitted on full scholarship.
From that humble beginning, the college expanded steadily. Many of our alumni have gone on to post-graduate studies and others have found employment and are now productive members of society. We wish them all the very best, with optimism for the college’s further success.
Our Founders
Bringing you up to date: our facilities
From a tiny sprout back in 2002, the Jasmer Singh Jaijee College has grown into a sturdy, spreading tree. Students now have four academic streams to choose from: BA and MA, BCom and BCA. With each new stream added, college staff has expanded. Today our faculty numbers 20, many of them with PhD and MPhil degrees. This year the college has started a collegiate wing which admits students of Class XI and XII and prepares them for college. The collegiate wing is recognised by the Punjab State Board of Higher Education.
The Academic Block of the Jasmer Singh Jaijee College houses ten classrooms, a computer lab, library-cum-study hall, exhibition hall-cum-students lounge, auditorium and administrative offices. It is set in a tree-shaded 12 acre campus located about 8 kms south of Lehragaga Town in Punjab’s Sangrur District and about 9 kms north of Jakhal Mandi on the Punjab-Haryana border.
The air-conditioned computer lab is equipped with WiFi and work stations for 20 students. In addition to one-on-one instruction, an LCD projector allows for easy demonstration. Students learn the most important programming languages: C and C++, Java, Oracle, Visual Basic, HTML and Linux. Our graduates are fully prepared to step into many IT-related jobs.
The large, airy library on the second floor is well supplied with books on all subjects and has an ample annual budget for new purchases. The college also subscribes to many newspapers and magazines. A student’s ID serves as the library card also and entitles the student to check out two books for two weeks.
Sports are an important part of the JSJ College experience. In 2018 a generous donor funded the construction of an auditorium for the college and in 2019 another ample donation came with the stipulation that it be used for a stadium and playing field. This facility was named in honour of S. Sukhjit Inder Singh Phoolka. This all-weather stadium can accommodate 200 spectators. A 400-meter athletic track encircles a playing field suitable for football, hockey, kabaddi, kho-kho, volleyball and cricket.
The college canteen provides hygienic food at reasonable prices. It is run under the supervision of the Canteen Committee. In case of any grievance, the problem may be taken up with Committee members.
The college building and grounds are under CCTV surveillance.
2020 — the ‘Coronavirus Year’ — was difficult for all colleges, so it is a matter of great satisfaction that Jasmer Singh Jaijee College has weathered the storm. The college has gone forward with small projects such as tree-plantation and campus beautification. Now regular classes have begun again and exams will be held on schedule.
In addition to academics, the college organises many extra-curricular activities. Students are very active in the National Service Scheme (NSS) and the National Cadet Corps (NCC). Our college has also had the honour of hosting the Zonal Youth Festival and we have organised many special cultural events which have brought renowned Punjabi singers, actors and writers to the campus. Among them were singers Pammi Bai, Karamjit Anmol, Jassi Longowalia and actors Sunny Chavria and Randhir Sidhu.
As we prepare to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the college, we are working toward making this institution even more responsive to the needs of young people. Moving into its third decade, Jasmer Singh Jaijee College would like to offer a variety of sharply focused job-oriented courses, realistic guidance counselling and energetic placement.
Wishing our students success in career and in life
Letter from the Principal
Dear Students,
You are lucky to have reached college; receiving higher education is a privilege. This time of your life is very precious. You must develop a clear idea of your destination and not only move toward your goal but prepare to meet challenges that lie ahead. You are in the prime of life; physically strong, healthy and mentally alert; this is an age when a person can work energetically and bear hardships. Don’t waste these years.
We live in a time of rapid change and the pace of life is fast indeed. Only by keeping up can you hope to succeed. Even in the matter of seeking guidance you must take care to listen to those who are geared to the future. Be sure that you are moving in the right direction.
No doubt you are already aware of the evils that surround you: hypocrisy, corruption and deceit taint every aspect of life. Fortunes have been built on criminal activities and immoral dealings. It is easy to become discouraged but personally I will not give in to pessimism.
This is the age of science, rationality and technological advances. Media has turned the world into a global village. When those who are your professors today were themselves students, they had to physically go to a library and search out relevant books. If there was no nearby library or if the library budget was too small to buy up-to-date books, then the students either gave up or travelled farther to find better libraries. Now, a student gets onto the internet and finds the latest information on every subject in a second. And what a benefit this is for your teachers too — easy access to the advances in their fields enables them to give you better quality instruction.
As I said, these are your best years. Preparing for your career is an important element of your life at this time, but it is not the only element. This is a time when you should be developing your personalities. Analyse yourself; be honest about your faults and try to correct them. It is entirely possible to overcome shyness, fearfulness, laziness and other negative traits if you make a sincere and persistent effort.
I hope to see each of you become a person who is a credit to your family and to this institution, a successful, responsible person who is respected in the community and in their field of work.