B. P. Baria Science Institute is managed by S. B. Garda College Trust which was established on March 20, 1945 in Navsari, Gujarat with the generous donation of Rupees Two lakhs by Parsi philanthropist Shri Sorabji Burjorji Garda. His vision was to provide higher education opportunities to students irrespective of their caste, creed or nationality. In 1945 the scenario of Navsari was quite different from what it is today. The total population of Navsari was about 30,000 at that time and there were only two high schools imparting education up to matriculate examination of Bombay University. After completing matriculation, students aspiring for higher education had to either go to Bombay or Surat, posing challenges, especially to students from the lower income group and female students whose families were hesitant to send their children to far off places.
To address this gap the trust inaugurated the S. B. Garda Arts College in June 1945. This was the first educational institution for higher learning at that time offering wide range of subjects with the establishment of departments for various subjects like Economics, Sanskrit, Persian and Gujarati in the very first year. On 18th December 1945, His Excellency the Maharaja Saheb Shrimant Pratapsinhrao Gaekwar laid the foundation stone of the science institute building and in 1946 the science faculty was inaugurated by Dr. Jivraj N. Mehta. In 1947 the subjects of English and logic was introduced followed with the introduction of Psychology and Hindi in 1952. Later on the subjects of History and Political Science were also added.
In 1948, Shri Burjorji Pestonji Baria another Parsi philanthropist donated a sum of rupees two lakh and the college was renamed S. B. Garda Arts College and B. P. Baria Science Institute.
Over the years, the trust expanded its educational offerings by establishing P. K. Patel College of Commerce in 1965 with a donation of rupees one lakh from the family of Shri P. K. Patel and with the addition of the commerce faculty, the college was again remaned as S. B. Garda College (Arts) and P. K. Patel College of Commerce and the science college B. P. Baria Science Institute was bifurcated and established as an independent institution. Later, Dinshaw Daboo Law College was established in 1972, further contributing to the regions academic landscape.
Today the S. B. Garda College Trust and its parent body, the Sir C. J. N. Z. Madresa High School is providing education from kindergarten (KG) to postgraduate (PG) level in various disciplines, fulfilling its mission of delivering quality education to students at an affordable cost – fostering their holistic development and supporting them from their early learning years through advanced studies, contributing significantly to the region’s educational development.
Today, B. B. Baria Science Institute is permanently affiliated to Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, Surat and is recognized under sections 2(f) and 12(B) of the UGC Acts. The college offers UG programme in five subjects of science viz. Chemistry, Microbiology, Physics, Mathematics and Zoology and PG programmes in the subject of Zoology and Mathematics. The course includes additional subjects of Language through literature (English), and a range of multidisciplinary and skill enhancement courses along with extension activities like NSS, NCC, PT, SCOPE and Saptadhara. The college also manages a Regional Community Science Centre (RCSC) funded by GUJCOST ( Gujarat Council of Science and Technology ) to promote scientific literacy and foster a scientific temperament among the community and thus contribute to the dissemination of scientific knowledge, encourage critical thinking and work towards the holistic development of society through science and technology. In order to enhance creativity and support innovation, the college has setup a student start-up and innovation policy (SSIP) cell with grants from the Government of Gujarat. The college has recently proven its credentials by securing a 4-star rating for two alternate years in the Gujarat State Institutional Ratings Framework (GSIRF) carried out by the Government of Gujarat (2021 and 2023).