Mount Carmel College will welcome male students for the academic year 2024-25, marking its diamond jubilee celebrations.
In 2016, the college had allowed male students to apply for only postgraduate courses. (Mount Carmel College official website)
In a historic decision, Mount Carmel College (MCC), one of Bengaluru’s reputed educational institutions for women, will go the co-ed way. The college will welcome male students for the academic year 2024-25, marking its diamond jubilee celebrations.
“The one thing that made Mount Carmel College enigmatic was the fact that it was an all-women college and only college fests allowed boys inside. This decision takes away that factor,” says author and film critic Sunayana Suresh, an alumna of MCC, who graduated in 2003.
The autonomous institution affiliated to Bengaluru City University (BCU) on Thursday, 4 January, said that all its programmes are now open to boys. In 2016, the college had allowed male students to apply for only postgraduate courses.
MCC’s announcement has left Aditi Chakraborty conflicted.
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Chakraborty, an alumna of the 2017 fashion and apparel design department, attended MCC during its all-women era. While there is nostalgia, she’s also reconciling with the decision, knowing that change is inevitable.
“It’s hard not to think about that special spirit and friendship that characterised the sisterhood. Even if we applaud development and the advantages of coeducation, there is a sense of nostalgia for the friendships and experiences. I’m looking forward to the future and remembering the sisters from the past with mixed emotions as MCC starts this new chapter,” she says.
Geetanjali Chitnis, who graduated from MCC in 2011 with a BA degree in Psychology, English Literature & Communication Studies, was outraged when she heard the news.
“My instinctive reaction was to be against the decision. But, as a proud product of MCC, I understand that value of accepting change and the new opportunities it may bring with it for so many people and the institution itself,” she shares.
“MCC was always known for a huge line of men waiting outside the hallowed gates, for the girls to walk out so that they could impress them. That was a fun bit to keep the men out of the boundaries, if you might,” says Swapna Venkatesh, an alumna, who graduated in 2002.
But for Sunayana Suresh, the decision is “heartbreaking.”
Going back to college will no longer be the same, she rues. “We won’t be able to see only girls sitting alongside those driveways and alleys, and talking about changing the world and chasing dreams in that utopia,” Suresh tells South First.
Chitnis agrees. “The everyday scene of hundreds of women casually enjoying the different spaces on campus — canteen, basketball court, hanging out under the tamarind tree or the famous MCC drive, etc, will be missed. I realised only after graduating how rare that is to see,” she reminsices.
They were some radical times, Suresh recalls.
“For one of our college fests, we all had a T-shirt that read ‘God is a Woman’. Such quirks and lenience will now be disallowed or at risk,” Suresh says with a tone of concern.
Chitnis remembers MCC being a campus with an air of vulnerability and openness where classrooms and hallways were extremely safe spaces for every woman.
“No matter what environment we came from, we settled into a comfortable space for a few hours every day. It brought a sense of stability, especially at a time in our lives when we were dealing with existential questions related to our future careers, our personal lives, and finding our voices as young women who could make a difference in both these spheres,” she details.
But Venkatesh believes safe spaces should not be defined by boundaries in educational institutions and workplaces.
“It doesn’t make sense segregating men and women considering every institution that we work in has a mix of genders. It creates a perception that some spaces are safe and some are not. But in today’s time, all spaces should be safe for women. Men need to learn that all spaces need to be safe for women as it is for them,” Venkatesh asserts.
However, Shweta Tiwari, current student in the Department of Communications, is not convinced. “A lot of girls, not only in Bengaluru, but across India, come to MCC not only because of its reputation but also for the fact that it’s an all-girls college, a safe space for most of us. With the move to go the co-ed way, a good number of girls might drop out and the college might lose some potential students, too,” she tells South First.
But Venkatesh insists it’s just a mind warp to think of a women’s college becoming a men’s college. It’s a matter of time before this perception shift occurs, she assures.
Suresh is worried that this decision might not be favourable for women. “All-girls colleges are vital as a whole section of society still feels safer sending girls there. With a premier institution like MCC changing that, it will be the end of an era,” she says.
Professor Sahana Das of the Communication Studies Department is ready to embrace this change.
“It would be interesting for MCC to become one of the first institutions run by women to educate boys. So, going past the instinctive resistance to change, I think this will be good,” she notes.
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And do the faculty members have apprehensions about dealing with boys?
“Regardless of whether they are girl-related or boy-related, all issues are addressed in college. At best, one can say that the perspective has been women-centric so far. It will be good for men to live with that perspective. They will be better partners, better bosses, better parents because of that,” she points out.
Chakraborty supposes that the transition will mark the start of an exciting chapter that promises progress and new relationships.
“This decision also recognises the treasured sisterhood that has left an everlasting stamp on our Mount Carmel experience. The spirit of Carmelites is now broadened to encompass a larger spectrum of relationships and exchanges, in the co-ed period,” she believes.
Venkatesh is certain that not much will change because a lot of women come from co-ed schools. “Giving them an environment which is only-women is a handicap for the workforce,” she adds.
Chitnis believes this decision will equip everyone with the ability to carry this lens into their lives outside of the classroom for the rest of their lives. “The essence of an education at this institution remains recognising, understanding and acting on different perspectives outside of your own,” she points out.
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