Scottish Church College (SCC)

About

The spread of European education in alliance with the doctrine of Christianity had been an important impetus to missionary enterprise in India in the nineteenth century.

Scottish Church College, established in 1830 as the General Assembly's Institution and given its present name in 1929 is an institution born out of one such impetus.

The college founder, Rev. Alexander Duff, was the first missionary to India from the Church of Scotland.

His idea was to set up an institution which linked western education with Christian mission and the eventual progress of the people -- years later the College is committed to the vision of its founding father and aims at academic excellence alongwith social awareness and character building.

The College is the second oldest in North Calcutta and has produced numerous outstanding people, chief among them being Swami Vivekananda and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

 The college also enjoys the status of College with Potential for Excellence, a quality rating by the University Grants Commission. Media survey rates Scottish as one among the top fifty colleges in India.

The College is now owned and administered by the Church of North India (CNI) through the diocese of Calcutta. It is affiliated to the University of Calcutta but enjoys autonomous status for its Faculty of Post Graduate Studies.

We offer Honours course in 15 subjects in the under-graduate stream and post-graduate course in two subjects. The Department of Teacher Education of the college prepares women students for the Bachelor of Education degree.

In keeping with the vision of its founder, the Scottish Church College encouraged academic excellence as well as promoting personality development, community service and the refinement of aesthetic sensibilities.

Through the years a long line of illustrious personalities have been educated in these hallowed halls of learning.

The splendorous architecture of the College including its magnificent prayer hall is eloquent testimony to its timeless heritage and the pioneering vision of its founding fathers.

History

he inception of what is now known as "Scottish Church College" is interlaced with the life of Dr. Alexander Duff, DD, LLD (1806-1878), the first overseas missionary of the Church of Scotland to India. Initially known as the General Assembly's Institution, it was founded on the 13th July, 1830.

Alexander Duff was born in Moulin, Perthshire, the very centre of Scotland on 25th April, 1806. He came of a highland Stock, his father James Duff spoke English and Gallic.

From the country school the lad passed to the University of St. Andrews where he cut a most brilliant career and, of still more importance, came under the influence of Dr. Chelmers.

Subsequently he undertook his mission to India. After a most adventurous voyage during which he was twice shipwrecked, Alexander Duff arrived in Calcutta on 27th May, 1830.

People of his time saw in his survival in successive shipwrecks evidence of the Divine Will to utilize the favourite of the god's for some notable work in India.

After much consultation and careful thought, the Rev. Alexander Duff opened his institution in Feringhi Kamal Bose's house, upper Chitpur Road, Jorasanko.

Dr. Duff expressing his desire that the school be opened daily with prayer, Raja Rammohan Roy suggested that the Lord's Prayer be so used.

In 1836 the institution was moved to Gorachand Basak's house in Garanhata and in 1836 the present building was begun.

Vision 
Empowering students to become intellectually sound, upright in values, virtuous and socially concerned to contribute as future leaders of the Nation by fulfilling their academic passions through liberal education and spiritual zeal.

Mission
To provide ideal learning environment conducive to a missionary approach wherein students from diverse social, economic and ethnic backgrounds grow together in mutual respect by integrating skills and values in a well-balanced curriculum imparted through high quality creative instructions to realize their highest potential.