This Centre was established in the year of 1986. Extension, as the third dimension of higher education, facilitates the linkage of higher education with the development of the disadvantaged groups.

In the initial years the main activity of this Centre was community-based adult literacy programme. Thereafter the Centre extended its functions in two rural blocks of Nadia district. This Centre launched the first Jana Siksha Nilayam, for post literacy activities, in West Bengal in the year 1989. Now community-based continuing education programmes are being organized in those areas. From 1994 this Centre introduced an one-year Postgraduate Diploma Course in Adult Education and from 1999, self-financed and short-term continuing education courses were introduced. Now twelth such courses are organized with the help of resource persons available at the University and in the neighbourhood. The Centre is also conducing Evaluations and Research on non-formal and adult education and maintaining linkage with some well-known NGOs, both national and international. Till now from the inception, the Centre has published Twenty books and booklets for Scholars / Adult educators and Neo-literates.

Director of the Centre
Dr. Ratneswar Bhattacharjee (Director)

Centre's Phone No.
(033) 2580 8371 (Direct)
(033) 2582 8750/8220/8286 (Ext. 275)

Departmental E-Mail.
ratand15@hotmail.com

Diploma, Certificate and Courses Offered

• One-year Post Graduate Diploma in Adult Education
   Specialization : Adult & Non-formal Education
   Intake Capacity in each Degree :20 (Twenty)

• Short term Continuing Education Courses (Self financing Certificate Courses)

Community based Continuing Education Courses (training)

Reading materials prepared for post-literacy with special emphasis to income generating

1. Cultivation of Chrysanthemum and Marigold in a small area.
2. Cultivation of Papaya
3. Duck cum fish cultivation in a small pond.
4. Spawn and Fingerlings cultivation in Nursery Ponds.
5. Banana Cultivation.
6. Vegetable Seedling production.
7. Mango Sapling production.
8. Busket making for chicks of Hatchery.
9. Photo Lamination.
10. Oyster Mushroom Cultivation.
11. Poultry Farming.
12. Preparation of parching rice (muri) and preparation of different delicious food from parching rice.
13. Milk production through Hybrid Cow.
14. Bee keeping.
15. Propagation of Cactus.
16. Coconut gardening.
17. Rabbit rearing.
18. Fishery
19. Citrus fruit cultivation in the kitchen garden.
20. Ornamental fish culture.
21. Economic self-sufficiency through producing groundnut and rice based food items.
22. Bari making.
23. Gauja Making.
24. Grocery shop.
25. Chilli cultivation.
26. Tomato sauce preparation.
27. Freshwater pearl culture.
28. Tuberose cultivation.
29. Kulpi Malai.
30. Sand paper making.
31. Molasses prepared from sap of the date palm.
32. Cover file.
33. Pumpkin jam.
34. Chattu made by Cholla & barley grain.
35. Fan made by palmary leaf.
36. Pickle made by mango, Jackfruit, Chilli, Carrot, Lemon, Turnip, Hogplum, Dillemia.
37. Guava jelly.
38. Goattery.
39. Cultivation of early highbreed cabbage.
40. Crisp snacks(Chanachur) making in low scale.
41. Batique print.
42. Breeding and rearing of Koel bird.
43. Making of broom stick from coconut leaf.
44. Edible bulbus plant cultivation.

Infra-structural Facilities :

A.  Special Equipment (s) : Slide Projectors, Overhead PA system, Projector.
B.  Computer facility  :  Available for training, documentation Research and administrative support.
C.  Library  : 157 + 2932 Books/Journals available in the  departmental library.

Documentation and dissemination of information :

• Literacy Primers in different languages of India and Bangladesh.
• Reading materials on income-generation programme for post literacy learners.
• Pilot studies on social and educational problems of Nadia and other Districts of  W.  Bengal.
• Reading materials on teaching – learning aids for literacy programme.
• Hand books for Computer, Fishery, Basic Electronics, and Ornamental Fish Culture.
• Journals on non-formal education.
• Books in the departmental library – Different reports; Books on Adult and non- formal education.

Field Action Project :

Sponsored Research project :
A research study on Micro financing of women through SHGs in Nadia & Murshidabad District is going on. The study was sponsored by National Commission for Women, New Delhi.