Our Congregation
Bon Secours College for women was instituted by the Franciscan sisters of our Lady of Bon Secours, a Religious Congregation dedicated to uplift the downtrodden, especially women.
It is very interesting to note that a tempest sowed the seed for the founding of the Congregation. This storm had served as a source of inspiration for Rev.Fr.Courdex S.J. to launch this noble venture in the year 1775 A.D. Then it took shape as a religious congregation in 1858 and was later re founded in the Arch-Diocese of Madras-Mylapore in 1894 with the lofty idea of imparting education to the native women.
Ever since its inception, it has been a beacon, guiding and promoting the educational interests of the poor and the downtrodden women.
Apostolate
The Congregation grew in strength day by day and now functions with 800 dedicated Nuns, working in the field of education, orphan care, medical care, Social work and women empowerment. But today our main focus is on the Education of Women in cities towns and the remotest villages. We have been imparting education to all people irrespective of Caste, Religion and Creed. The numerous Primary, Middle, Secondary, Training educational institutions and number of Orphanages testify to our commitment to this noble cause.
About the Institution
The Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Bon Secours established the Bon Secours College for Women in 2002 at Vilar Bypass, Thanjavur, which is dedicated to empower the rural women community, with a motto that reads, "To Empower, To Change To Live." A key priority of the Management has been the welfare of women, and it believes that education is the only way to transform rural and downtrodden women completely. The College is affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, and recognized by UGC under 2(f) and 12 (B) in 2009 and 2011 respectively.
University Grant Commission conferred Autonomous status to Bon Secours College for Women from the academic year 2024-25 onwards and is accredited with ‘A++’ Grade in Cycle II (CGPA 3.71) by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous body of the UGC. The Bon Secours College is the only college with this accreditation in Thanjavur. The College has been ranked by NIRF in the 151- 200 Band and secured first rank in Best money value category for Fashion Technology by India Today ranking for the year 2022. The College is recognized as the potential Mentor for NAAC aspiring institutions under UGC Paramarsh scheme. It is actively participating in Institution’s Innovation Council to foster the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, and secured 4 stars out of 5 in 2023.
The College offers 20 UG, 12 PG, 5 M.Phil., and 4 Ph.D. Programmes. There are 7 Diploma Programmes and 181 Certificate Courses, comprising of Value Added and Vocational Courses. With a professional and personalized educational approach, Bon Secours College trains all students with a combination of intellectual curiosity and social commitment in order to equip them with the skills they need to succeed academically and professionally. A large number of departments produce centum results every year, and university rank holders are always on the rise. The College bagged 214 University ranks in the academic year 2022-2023.
The College is known for its excellent infrastructure and adequate facilities. Every year Student Induction Programme (Deeksharambh) and Bridge Course are conducted for the first year students to acquaint them with the new environment of higher education. Every Department is vibrant with its regular Curricular, Co-curricular programme / activities with value addition in terms of promoting communicative, technical, professional, Soft and Life Skills.
The institution provides a wide choice of Courses that are in line with the latest National Trends and Skill-Development in the form of Value-Added, Add-On, and Vocational Certificate Courses. The College Library as a Learning Resource enables students to acquire information, knowledge and skills required through digital means with ICT and ILMS facilities.
The College also extends opportunities to the students in order to inculcate the social and civic responsibilities and distinctiveness through Part-V committees such as NSS, YRC, RRC, EXNORA, Rotract, Leo Club etc., under GBS (Give Back to Society) programme. The College serves as a participating institution under Unnat Bharat Abiyan (UBA) 2.0 and Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education and has adopted 5 villages. The students participate in a range of community engagement projects in rural areas to improve their socioeconomic standing. The College received One District One Champion award by MGNRD in 2020. The College has entered Memorandum of Understanding with various stakeholders for availing expertise, research, infrastructure, extension programmes etc.
The College has a registered Incubation Centre namely, Bon Secours Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development in order to foster innovative ecosystem and promote entrepreneurship. Ultimately, Bon Secours offers its services to support the holistic development of the student community and transform them into Nation Builders.
Institutions run by Bon Secours in Thanjavur District
St. Joseph's Hr.Sec.School, Pookara street, Thanjavur.
St. Joseph's Hr.Sec.School, Mannargudi.
St. Theresa's Hr.Sec.School, Thiruthuraipoondi.
St. Isabel's Hr.Sec.School, Pattukottai.
St. Mary's, Thatchenkurchy.
St. Joseph's , Sanjai Nagar.
