Chandigarh – The City Of Students
It has been said that the value of a city is truly reflected in its ability to attract students to it. From this aspect, the city of Chandigarh truly attains a very high grading as rightly so, it is called as the city of students, thanks to the numerous schools, colleges and other educational institutes of the city, which have earned a great name for themselves and of course for the lovely city.

Though it is very difficult to give a comprehensive account of the educational facilities of the city in a concise form, this article aims at highlighting the reasons why the city has been christened ‘the city of students’.

The schools of Chandigarh have a great history behind them. From the time settlement has been recorded in this city, there have been official records of quality educational institutions, which have imparted elementary education to the little students of the city. Presently, the numerous schools are continuously progressing to reach the highest standards of the country. There are also some schools that have attracted international attention for their quality and methodology of teaching.

The Best Part of the City…
What makes the city very ideal for imparting education is the lovely scenic beauty that the place offers along with the numerous manmade constructions like buildings and gardens all around the place. With these is the fact that the city is well planned and, above all, has a climate that is congenial for better concentration and hardwork, both of which are very vital for imparting good education.

The healthy competition that has existed amongst the various schools and other educational institutions of the city has ensured collective growth in all of them. There are also a large number of private schools in the city, which have only accelerated the process of bringing in better standards of education in these educational institutions. The methodology of teaching at these schools also do emphasize, apart from class room sessions of academic subjects, development of skills that are important for the development of personality of the students. The various schools that one would find in the city include Private schools, Public schools, Montessoris, Government schools and of course some renowned Convent schools.

Some of the prominent schools of the city are Ajit Karam Singh International Public School, Air Force Regional School, B.N. Sr. Secondary School, Bal Niketan Model School, Bhavan’s Vidyalaya, C.L.A.D. Model High School, Carmel Convent School, D.A.V.Model.Senior Secondary School, Guru Nanak Khalsa Senior Secondary School, I.S.Dev.Samaj Girls Senior Secondary School, Manav Mangal High School, Sacred Heart Convent School, Shivalik Public School, Saint Soldier International School, Sri Guru Harkrishan Model School, The New Public Senior Secondary School, The New Public Senior Secondary School, Vedic Girls High School, St. Stephen’s High School, St. Xavier High School and Tender Heart High School. The most popular syllabus in these schools is the Central Board of Secondary Studies syllabus also prevalent is the ICSE syllabus. The schools are located across the city and almost evenly through the various sectors.

Other Recognized Institutes For Higher Studies:
The city boasts of the presence of the famous Panjab University, a University that was founded in the year 1882 (at that time in Lahore), making it a preferred destination of students, academicians & research scholars. The University was shifted to the city of Chandigarh in the year 1947 after the partition of India and Pakistan and has adorned the city since then. Presently, over twenty thousand students are enrolled in the University run programmes and a further about eighty thousand students are educated in the various affiliated colleges of the University.  The University boasts of a beautiful campus that was designed by Pierre Jeannerret, a famous architect, under the guidance of the legendary Le Corbusier, the architect of the city. It is spread over five hundred acres of land expanse, and the campus has various sections that are clearly demarcated for specific purposes. The University os also famous for its competent faculty, the lavish buildings, the splendid library, scholarship and financial aids it offers, one of the oldest computer science facilities of the country, coaching for civil services, counseling and career developments programmes, student exchange programmes and the large number of courses it offers to the students.

The city of Chandigarh has two important medical training colleges. They are the Government Medical College, which is located at Sector 32 and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research. Though the Government Medical College is relatively new, having started in 1991, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research has been in existence since the year 1962 therefore has an important history behind it.

The various technical institutes of the city are Industrial Training Institute, The Government Central Crafts Institute for Women, Food Craft Institute, Chandigarh College of Architecture, The Government College of Art, The Central Polytechnic and the famous Punjab Engineering College. The Punjab Engineering College was started at Lahore as Maclagan Engineering College and was shifted to Chandigarh in the year 1947 further to the partition of the two countries. The institute earned the best technical college of the country award in the year 1991, an award instituted by the National Foundation of Engineers. These technical institutes offer almost every prominent technical course that is found anywhere in the country. 

Some of the prominent colleges of the city of Chandigarh are DAV College, Dev Samaj College, Government College for Girls, Government College for Men, Government Coed College, Govt Architecture College, Government Fine Arts College, Home Science College, SGGS College for Men and SGGS College for Women, GGDSD College and MCMDAV College. These colleges have all earned a name for themselves, thanks to the expertise they possess in the field of education. Most of these colleges are well sought after in the academic circles of the country. It is due to this reason that one would find students from across the country, studying at Chandigarh. No wonder, one would find a cosmopolitan outlook for the city of Chandigarh, especially when it comes to the young school/college going age.

What’s on offer….
As brought out above, some of the colleges mentioned have international fame n certain key areas. The first in the list is of course the Punjab Engineering College (PEC) whose credentials of having topped in the list of Technical Institutes of the country in 1991 have made it unique. The MCM-DAV College or the Meher Chand Mahajan Dayanand Anglo Vedic College for Women also has a long history, it being established in the year 1968. This college boasts of outstanding infrastructure, consisting a unique blend of tradition and technology. Accredited with a ‘A’ grade by the NAAC, the college imparts quality education in the fields of Information Technology, Commerce, Science and Arts streams through its various undergraduate, post graduate, Professional and Diploma Courses.
DAV college, Sector 10 is another academic institute that has an A+ rating by NAAC and is perhaps the most sought-after destination of students (especially sports-persons) in the city beautiful, if not the whole of North India (after DU off course). The fact that it has been rated the best college in north India  (the sates of HP, Punjab, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir) also stands testimony to its high standards. GGDSD College in sector 32 is another great college. The cut-offs for admission to this college go up into the 90’s. The two Khalsa Colleges i.e. Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College and Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College for women in Sector 26 are also very good colleges both in terms of academic as well as extra-curricular activities.

Also famous is the Government Home Science College, which also boasts of a 40 plus year tradition, and is highly regarded for healthy traditions, work ethics, and excellence in academics, sports and cultural activities. The curriculum of the institute has an integrated approach, including theory, practical, research and field work in various fields like Child development, Foods & Nutrition and Clothing & Textiles.

The Chandigarh Engineering College or the CEC was set up with the aim of upliftment of urban and rural youth. The institute is always on a quest to excel and boasts of a student community, which is a blend of varied backgrounds and credentials. The institute is accredited by the AICTE and has every reason to be proud of, considering the growing number of prominent alumni.

Another College that has assumed national significance is the Chandigarh College of Architecture. Where else can a college of architecture be situated? The college epitomizes the values of the city and preaches the architectural beauty of its buildings and other varied creations. The beauty of the curriculum it offers is the amount of practical sessions the five-year course offers to the students, which is sure to equip them to take on assignments from the moment they pass out of the institute.

It is said that the growth of the academic institutes of the city is also to be attributed to the way the city has sprung up immensely in the national map of the country. No wonder, the city, which boasts of being the state capital of two major states, and also enjoys the privileges of a Union Territory, has every reason to smile in being a very special place for the whole of the Indian sub continent.

With the various accomplishments made during the last years, the Chandigarh Colleges has easily clutched the top position among the other colleges of the country. No single city of the country can boast of the combination of so many types of colleges, each excelling in their respective fields.

What’s The Status of Chandigarh throughout the World?
In today’s world, when the benchmarking of an academic institute is made based on the number of placements, the graduates of a college get, Chandigarh colleges have a distinct advantage for sure. Though the quality of education is the major reason for this, it is also pertinent to mention the presence of many companies and also the boom of IT parks near the Chandigarh area like Mohali etc. as also one of the main reasons for this.

What is also peculiar to the college environment is that, it is a welcome trend seen in them to expose the students to various activities, thereby encouraging interaction and social work, all of which instill in them a sense of belongingness to the country and her people. Needless to say, this is the sure shot way to ensure that the students improve their personality as a whole and understand patriotism and humanity, perhaps something which goes untaught by many of the so called prominent educational institutions of the country.

What is also noteworthy is the blend the city has been able to impress upon its colleges and the students, of tradition and modernity. This is seen in all these institutes, which teach ultra modern techniques and technology in the background of most Indian environment all around. To forge the students ahead in the discreet balance of the two extremes has also been achieved thanks to the numerous discourses and lectures by the prominent spiritual scholars of the country to the students.

Another important feature that one notices in these colleges is the importance accorded for environmental protection. The various clean and green drives that form a part of the curriculum in most of these colleges definitely instill a thought in the students about the relevance these have on the humanity as a whole.

Also interesting is the achievement of these colleges in the field of sports and games and this has also been made possible thanks to the wonderful facilities the city has to offer for these.

Perhaps most interesting and thus important for the students is also the location of these colleges in the city that is considered to be one of the most ‘happening’ ones of the country! No wonder, you will find students flocking into this city for studies- lest you miss that most important time of their lives to some slow and outdated city somewhere else!!

What the Future holds…
For a whole lot of reasons mentioned above, the city of Chandigarh rightly deserves the title ‘City of Students’. And for these reasons, the city has a great future- how many of us would not like to return to the city where we had spend our college days? No matter what, the very reason of the city being that of the students can one day be the reason for the city being one of the most prosperous cities of the whole world, considering the rate at which our country and of course this lovely city has been growing all these recent years. Once that happens, the ‘city of students’ of India will also become the ‘city of students’ of the entire world!