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Located in Kon Village, Thane District of Maharashtra, the Gajananrao Pandurang Patil College of Arts and Science was established in the year 2013. The GPP college, as it is fondly called in the area, stands as the first and the only higher educational institution in this village and many of the adjoining rural areas in Bhiwandi taluka. 

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This institution is the brain-child of Janabai Vikas Sanstha - an organisation of social workers from the nooks and corners of Thane District, running since 1994, devoted towards the social and educational upliftment of the rural and tribal people within the district. Considering the absence of higher educational institutions in the rural expanse of Bhiwandi taluka, the Board of directors, along with all the then active members, resolved unanimously to establish a degree college especially for the rural and tribal youths so that they get access to higher education. Thus, with affiliation from the University of Mumbai and permission from the State Government of Maharashtra, the GPP College took its first steps and started its journey from the academic year 2013-14. 

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In spite of other colleges in the adjoining urban areas, the inability of rural students, particularly girls, to continue higher education after school due to insufficient resources, financial capacity, distance constraints, conservative outlook and gender bias, placed them far behind their generational counterparts in the urban areas and deprived them of equal opportunities for development. In such a scenario, GPP college stands as a tree full of opportunities for the educationally barren adjoining rural areas. As a fruit of this noble initiative, the college saw its very first admission process filling up the complete intake capacity of students.

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With its establishment, the college initially provided two courses of Arts and Science i.e. BA and BSc (IT) and then went on to add another course of Commerce i.e. BCom in the year 2021. The outgoing students of BA receive their degree with subject specialisation in History and Economics. Since the initial years itself, the college has catered to the different constraints of the students and facilitated a smooth educational journey for them throughout the degree. The Board of Members also takes initiative in providing free education to those students who are financially weak. It has been supportive of its students in not only academic but also extra-curricular activities so as to ensure their holistic development and to ease or remove the hindrances in their path of life. As a result, it has seen many of its students making their mark in various fields and competitions such as sports, elocution, arts, etc. It also facilitates accommodation for its staff members and takes care of their travelling expenses. The college has been taking various initiatives for creating awareness, curiosity and a sense of responsibility amongst the students such as social issues eradication, health camps and awareness programmes. Many times it blends local culture with a modern touch in its programs and initiatives thereby making an attempt to promote education, participation and inclusivity by breaking the chains of rigid and regressive thoughts, in a rather convincing and careful manner. 

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This college has travelled a long way into this journey of imparting education and making a positive difference into the many young lives that it has touched. From obtaining permission for its establishment, to building its infrastructure and providing three courses, it has fought the various socio-economic hurdles on the path towards its goal and continues to do so. It aims to grow further in different aspects of holistic education and development so that it can keep satisfying its goal of educating those who are behind the curtains of adversity and do not have a reach to education and career development.