Shiv Kumari Mahavidyalaya (SKM) is a Graduate College affiliated to Avadh University, Faizabad.  Founded by a great visionary, educationist, scholarly professor and former legislator, the late Professor Ram Dev Dubey, the SKM has been primarily aimed at catering to the modern higher educational needs of the socially left-behind, downtrodden and rock-bottom strata of the society. Located close to the borders of three districts – Pratapgarh, Jaunpur and Allahabad – the SKM translates his vision to channelize the talents and energies of rural youth by equipping them with the tools of modern education and skills.  The institute is the fruition of his idea of fighting out anti-deluvian, retrogressive and crass elitist, exclusivist social tendencies and attitudes by   imparting the values of egalitarianism, entrepreneurship and creativity to the youth force from sleepy villages and small townships. The economically backward Pratapgarh district itself has roughly three-million population, which has been lagging far behind in the field of higher education. It was in view of filling in this vacuum that Professor Dubey launched the much-needed degree college at Ashapur village of Raniganj tehsil in 2008. 

 

The college is a key component of the educational initiative that was conceived by Professor Dubey in a solemn bid to fulfill the dreams of his wife, the late Shiv Kumari Dubey, who epitomized human compassion during her lifetime as a devoted social worker and political leader.  The initiative came after her passing away in the shape of a reputed no-profit, no loss educational NGO of eastern Uttar Pradesh, popularly known as Shiv Kumari Dubey Seva Pratisthan (SKDSP), Pratapgarh.  Registered under Cooperative Societies Act, the SKDSP is currently running over half-a-dozen educational institutions in Pratapgarh district.