An Overview
Our new Library block built in 4 floors has over 900268 books in various languages like English, Hindi, Malayalam, Sanskrit, Syriac, German, French, Portuguese etc. Each year a considerable number of books are added to the library. In addition to the books, over 71 journals, 132 periodicals and 23 newspapers are also available in the library. We have our own software for the library. The well-stocked spacious modern library, 24 hour broadband internet connectivity at speed of 100 Mbps and 4000 + e-journals (3828 Nos) and 80409 E books create the most conducive ambience for research. Besides, many Departments have Department libraries from where students can borrow books. Altogether, the college houses over one lakh books in the campus.
An Indoor Stadium with maple wood flooring with an area of 36×24 m was inaugurated in the college in 2016. The stadium has 6 badminton courts and one volleyball court. It is open to the students and members from the general public.
An Indoor Stadium with maple wood flooring with an area of 36×24 m was inaugurated in the college in 2016. The stadium has 6 badminton courts and one volleyball court. It is open to the students and members from the general public.
The stadium, named after the Arjuna Awardee Late Jimmy George, our alumnus illustrious, contains a clay volleyball court and a basketball court. The All India Inter University Volleyball Championship of December 2016 was conducted here.
It consists of above three acres of land with a football court, cricket ground, walker’s lane etc. The ground is used by sports personal belonging not only to our College but also to the neighbouring institutions. The ground has nurtured many athletic and sports champions of national and international reputs.
Health club of our college has a number of machines to develop the physique and health of the students of the college. The College has identified psychosomatic wellness promotion as its best practice. Diverse amenities are provided to promote the wellness of the students.
St. Thomas is the pioneer college to start an open gymnasium where students can spend their time for fitness all throughout the day, especially during their free hours. It is also open to the members from the general public. Multiple instruments and machines which can brave the weather and can be used in any season attract all interested in fostering health.
The Department of History maintains a museum which contains artefacts belonging to even 3000 B. C. It houses a large number of articles and utensils including facsimiles of Harappan material artefacts. The Department of Zoology has a Museum with a large collection of specimen and artefacts.
The College has a few computer labs in the campus. In addition to the two Central labs, the departments of Statistics, Biostatistics, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Botany etc maintain computer labs of their own. The central lab facilities are used for running various VET Courses and Graphic designing. Apart from this, students are provided with facilities to the study of computer applications included in the regular syllabus and to use the internet for research and project work.
College Main Auditorium, Bishop Vayalil Hall, St. Joseph’s Hall, Kureethadom Hall, Cardinal Tisserant Hall and A2 5 are the main halls to enable the effective conduct of programmes, seminars, conferences etc. All these halls are equipped with state-of-the art of facilities including high quality acoustics.
Almost all departments of our college give special coaching in UGC/ NET/CSIR etc. As a result, many students of our college could clear the above examinations. This year the college has entered into an MoU with our Civil Service institute, for the coaching in UGC NET/JRF. The teachers of our college will also be part of this training.
Public Address System was installed in the campus in 2017 connecting all class rooms, departments and common places. It is an easy way of communication in the campus.
College Canteen provides the students of the college breakfast, lunch and Dinner at a concessional rate. The College Store provides the students the facility to purchase books, stationery and reprography. The canteen is managed by Co-operative Society with teachers, non-teaching staff and students as members.
St. Thomas campus is well-known for the green campus with a variety of trees including very precious and botanically important trees. We always plant trees and give utmost importance to the nurturing of trees. The whole campus is surrounded by trees and greenery. It is a haven of fresh air.
The college conducts B.Voc. Programmes in disciplines like Sustainable Agriculture, Food Processing Technology and Botany. To familiarize the student with the cutting-edge developments in modern agricultural practices, the college has erected poly houses with all modern technical facilities. This is to ensure that the students are always kept in constant awareness of the latest methodologies in all fields.
Christu Raj Hostel, Sports Hostel, Ladies Hostels, Philips Hostel and Guest House and Staff Hostel have been functioning for decades to enable staff and students from distant areas to be part of this prestigious centre for higher learning. They are all well maintained hostels ensuring the comfort, safety and well-being of the inmates.
Fertile patches of land at different sites within the campus have been made arable and have been turned into agricultural fields. Students get practical training and they develop in them and eco-friendly consciousness and a harmonious communion with nature.
The English-speaking corner is a unique venture initiated by the Department of English. The students of the English Department assemble near the B Block, at the western corner of the quadrangle. They engage in conversation on various topics and the students from other departments come and join in the discussions. This helps in improving the fluency of the participants and also promotes friendship and fellows feeling among all the student of the different programmes.
To fulfil the water needs of such a vast campus with nearly three thousand students, many hostels, canteen, laboratories etc. is a herculean task. The college has made provisions to avoid scarcity of water through the installation of natural water management systems, rain water harvesting mechanism etc. besides the college’s own water sources. These measures make the institution a truly eco-friendly one.
A study centre of Indira Gandhi National Open University started functioning at St. Thomas College, Palai in July 2004. The centre is envisaged to utilize the surplus resources of the college for the betterment of the society. Through the IGNOU study centre, the college offers education opportunities to those who aspire to continue their studies outside the regular college system including housewives, businessman, employed persons etc. The study centre currently offers B.Com, M.Com, PGDBO and MA (History) programmes.
An area where a good number of career opportunities exists is the banking sector. The College campus houses a coaching centre for bank tests to equip job seekers with enough knowledge, skill and competence to clear such examinations. The centre has brightened the lives of innumerable students through procuring for them a much-coveted career in banking.
University Study Centre in our campus has a library with 7972 Books and over 10000 e-journals. It is accessible to the students and scholars on all working days.
St. Thomas College Staff Co-Operative Society, and South Indian Bank, Arunapuram Branch are functioning on the campus. They take care of all the banking and financial needs of everyone associated with this College.
The college hosts the civil service institute which was founded in January 1988, sponsored jointly by the Archdiocese of Changanacherry and the Diocese of Palai and Kanjirappally. The institute is meant to advance the career prospects of young people who have the potential for high ranking civil service placement, but cannot afford the expensive coaching available only big cities. The institute is located in an atmosphere of serene rural charm at the eastern edge of St. Thomas College campus on the banks of the Meenachil River. The city campus of the institute functions at Lourdes Centre, PMG Junction, Thiruvananthapuram. A full-time course for graduates and postgraduates (18 months), an add-on course for undergraduates
(3 years), a foundation course for higher secondary students and orientation camps for high school students are held every year. 95 students have passed the civil service examination so far including Haritha V. Kumar, Dr. Sriram V. and Dr. Alby John Varghese, who won First, Second and Third Rank respectively in 2012 batch and those has been a high intake into the other central, state and private sector services.
Entrance tests for medical and engineering courses have been a highly challenging area for young aspirants for their programmes. The management has established a high-quality coaching centre called Lumen Entrance Coaching Centre to help the young students to crack these tests. The centre offers coaching for NEET, KEAM and various other national level test of great prestige.
A lightning sensor is installed in our campus in collaboration with the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS), Thiruvananthapuram, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India. The sensor is being used for nowcasting and forcasting of lightning and other activities like cloud formation and rain fall in the area. People are able to predict lightning/rain before about 30 minutes of its occurrence. A free application software Damini is used ( https://play.google.com/ store/apps/details?id=com.lightning.liv.damini) for this purpose. The cost of the sensor and the accessories is about 20 lakhs.
We ensure minimum waste in our campus. Waste bins are kept at all places in our campus, including classrooms. Waste is collected in different waste bin and treated them separately. A full-fledged waste water treatment system is functional in the college. The recycled water is used for agriculture purposes in the campus. The college has a modern incinerator for managing solid wastes.
The College has a solar power generation unit situated just behind the administrative building. The total capacity of the system is 10 kW.
