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Rajshahi College

Coordinates: 24°21′52″N 88°35′45″E / 24.3645°N 88.5958°E / 24.3645; 88.5958
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Rajshahi College
রাজশাহী কলেজ
Logo of Rajshahi College
Rajshahi College Logo
TypeGovernment College
Established1873; 151 years ago (1873)
FounderKing Haranath Roy Chowdhury
Academic affiliation
National University, Bangladesh
PrincipalMd. Abdul Khaleque
Academic staff
241
Administrative staff
111
Students26000 (approx)
Location
Rajshahi
,
Rajshahi
,
6100
,
Bangladesh

24°21′52″N 88°35′45″E / 24.3645°N 88.5958°E / 24.3645; 88.5958
CampusUrban, 35 acres (14 ha)
EIIN126490
College codeNational University - 2501
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Rajshahi - 1000
Colors     
Websiterc.edu.bd
Main gate of Rajshahi College

Rajshahi College (Bengali: রাজশাহী কলেজ) is a public educational institution in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Established in 1873, it is the third oldest college in Bangladesh after Dhaka College and Chittagong College. Rajshahi College is now comprising Bangladesh to award a graduate (master's) degree. The first two master's degree candidates, Cayan Uddin Ahmed (Chawyone Uddin Ahmed) and N. N. Lehari, after graduation became Chief Secretary of Bengal and Session Judge respectively. Later both were awarded Khan Bahadur and Roy Bahadur titles.

Rajshahi College offers three years Degree pass course and four years honours degree courses in various disciplines under the National University. The college is affiliated with the National University of Bangladesh. Since 1996, it had stopped enrolling higher secondary students. It again started enrolling higher secondary students in 2010. Situated in the city center, Rajshahi College is adjacent to Rajshahi Collegiate School and is very near the famous Varendra Museum.

History

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Hazi Mohammad Mohsin Bhaban, Est 1888

The origins of the college were in a private English School that had been founded in Rajshahi in 1828 by the concerted efforts of many of the region's most prominent citizens (this school is now known as Rajshahi Collegiate School).[1] In 1836 the school was taken over by the provincial government of Bengal and was converted into a Government Zilla (or District) School. In 1873, again through the concerted efforts and appeals of local citizens, the Zilla School was given the status of an Intermediate College, and F.A. courses were introduced into its curriculum. With further development this college was accorded "first-grade rank" in 1878, which meant that it could teach B.A. courses and be affiliated to the University of Calcutta. The name "Rajshahi College" came with the first-grade rank in 1878. The year 1881 saw the inauguration of the M. A. classes; B.L. classes were added in 1883. The postgraduate Departments in Arts and in Law continued till 1909 when they were withdrawn because the college could not meet the requirements of the New Regulations of the University of Calcutta which came into force in that year.[2]

Starting with only 6 students on the roll in 1873, the college counted 100 in 1878, 200 in 1900, 400 in 1910, 800 in 1920 and no less than 1000 in 1924; there was only one Muslim student at the college in 1873; 5 years later it was still one, but the figure rose to 156 in 1916 and climaxed at 215 in 1924. Khan Bahadur Chayan Uddin Ahmed (B.A. English) was the first Muslim graduate of East Bengal from Rajshahi college. Subsequently, of course, Muslim numbers rose in the college and after 1947 eventually exceeded the Hindu numbers. Today, in independent Bangladesh, the college has been accorded "University College" status and no longer teaches Higher Secondary or Intermediate courses. Currently, it is part of the University of Rajshahi system of Bangladesh and its curriculum includes only undergraduate and post-graduate courses in a variety of disciplines.[3]

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The logo of Rajshahi College has four circles. The circles from inside to outside symbolize truth, beauty, purity and universality respectively. An open book symbolizes knowledge. A ribbon tie is a symbol of friendship and tolerance. A lamp flame symbolizes the enlightened man.

Buildings

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The main administrative building of Rajshahi College is a good example of British Indian colonial architecture. Other important older buildings of the colonial period include the Fuller Hostel Biology Building, Chemistry Building, Physics Building, former Muslim Hostel etc. Newer buildings include the Library and Auditorium, an Arts building, both dating from the 1950s and a new Science building, dating from the 1990s.

Rajshahi College and the Language Movement

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First martyr monument[4] dedicated to the Language Movement in 1952.

Immediately after the killing of students in Dhaka on 21 February 1952 students in Rajshahi College built what is often thought to be the first (but short lived) martyr monument dedicated to the Language Movement. The present monument to the Language Movement dates from 1973. It was built to replace an earlier monument, built in 1969, that was destroyed by Pakistani forces in 1971.

E-Service

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E-Service plays an important role to bring momentum, transparency and accountability in government service. To achieve the goals of A-2I Programme of Digital Bangladesh, Rajshahi College has taken some initiatives.

There are about 30,000 students pursuing education at HSC, Pass, Honors and Masters levels at Rajshahi College. About 250 teachers are engaged in teaching them and more than 150 other employees support the administration, accounts and all sorts of activities in this college. Frequent change in Principals and weakness in record keeping created serious difficulties in preserving records of essential documents and information of students. Moreover, it is much difficult and a tedious task for the administration to maintain and ensure good governance of the college.

Keeping this in mind, Rajshahi College made an effort to establish exclusively a robust basis for the whole institution and started an ICT program in February 2012 with a view to keeping records of all data, information relating to students, teachers, finance and other things as well. Rajshahi College might be the sole institute which dared to manage its all data and information digitally and has become a pioneer institute to do all its jobs online.[5]

Notable alumni and faculty

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Grave of Shaheed Dulal at Rajshahi College

Highly distinguished alumni and faculty of Rajshahi College include:

Former principals

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SL Principal's name Working period start Working period end
1 Mr. Hargobind Sen (Head Master of Rajshahi Zilla School) 1873 1878
2 Mr. Frederick Townley Dowding 1878 1880
3 Mr. A. C. Edward 1880 1887
4 Mr. W. B. Livingstone 1887
5 Mr. G. W.R. Taper 1887
6 Mr. W. B. Livingstone 1887 1897
7 Mr. Rai Kumudini Kanta Banerjee Bahadur 1897 1919
8 P. Niogi 1919
9 Mr. Rai Kumudini Kanta Banerjee Bahadur 1920 1924
10 Mr. Krishna Chandra Bhattacharya 1924
11 Mr. S. N. Maitra 1925 1926
12 Mr. T. T. Williums 1926 1927
13 Mr. Aswini Kumar Mukerji 1927 1928
14 Mr. T. T. Williums 1928 1930
15 Mr. B. M. Sen 1930 1931
16 Mr. Rai Hem Chandra Dey Bahadur 1931 1932
17 W. A. Jenkins 1932 1933
18 Mr. Harilal Choudhury 1933
19 P. D. Shastri 1933 1935
20 Mr. J. M. Bose 1935 1940
21 S. K. Banarjee 1940
22 Snehamoy Datta 1941 1945
23 Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed 1945 1950
24 I. H. Juberi 1950 1951
25 Mr. M. Taher Jamil 1951
26 Mr. A. Karim Mondal 1951
27 Mr. A. Munyem 1951 1952
28 Mr. Solomon Choudhury 1952 1954
29 Md. Shams-Ul-Haque 1954 1956
30 Abdul Haque 1956 1959
31 Shamsuzzaman Choudhury 1959 1961
32 M. A. Haye 1961 1969
33 Elias Ahmed 1969 1970
34 M. Shamsuddin Miah 1970 1972
35 Nurur Rahman Khan 14/06/1972 13/09/1976
36 M. Noimuddin 14/09/1976 24/09/1979
37 Lutfar Rahman 26/09/1979 8/1/1981
38 S. M. Abdur Rahman 8/1/1981 25/12/1983
39 Md. Tamijul Haque 25/12/1983 29/05/1984
40 Md. Abul Quasem 28/07/1984 17/08/1990
41 Md. Shamsur Rahman 30/08/1990 9/12/1992
42 Serajul Islam 25/12/1992 2/2/1993
43 Shams Uddin Ahmad 13/02/1993 16/03/1995
44 A. S. M. Moarraf 19/03/1995 12/2/1996
45 Golam Rabbani 4/4/1996 28/11/1996
46 Sher Mohammad 17/09/1997 17/09/1997
47 Md. Younush Ali Dewan 29/09/1997 28/06/1998
48 Akhtar Banu 28/06/1998 2/10/1999
49 Md. Abdul Haye Choudhury 4/10/1999 23/12/1999
50 Arun Kumar Bhattacharya 13/04/2000 2/10/2000
51 K. M. Jalal Uddin Akber 14/10/2000 6/4/2002
52 Abdul Bashir 14/08/2002 29/03/2004
53 Md. Ashraful Islam 4/4/2004 26/06/2005
54 Md. Shams Ul Haque 27/07/2005 18/06/2008
55 Ali Reza Md. Abdul Mazid 17/07/2008 15/04/2014
56 Md. Habibur Rahman 14/08/2014 3/02/2021
57 Md. Abdul Khaleque 4/10/2021 Continuing
Source: "Former Principals". Rajshahi College.

Former vice principals

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SL Vice principal's name Working period start Working period end
1 Mr. Aswini Kumar Mukerji 1926 1928
2 Mr. H. L. Choudhury 1934
3 Mr. Md. Abu Hena 1942
4 Subodh Chandra Sen Gupta 1943
5 Mr. Mahammad Taher Jamil 1948
6 Moulvi Maqbul Ahamed 1952
7 Mr. M. Ahmed Hossain 1957
8 Mr. M. A. Haye 1959 1960
9 Mohammad Shamsuddin Miah 1963 1965
10 Syed Lutfal Haque 26/02/1966 23/04/1967
11 Mr. M. Ramjan 1969
12 Mr. Md. Abdul Khaleque 1970
13 Mr. Md. Abdul Gofur 1972
14 Mr. S. M. Abdur Rahman 1973
15 Belayet Ali 15/03/1974 7/5/1980
16 Md. Abdur Razzak 1980 1984
17 Md. Moslem Ali 12/4/1984 31/12/1986
18 Khandokar Md. Monirul Islam 1988 1989
19 A. B. M. Rezaul Haque 1990
20 A. J. M. Rezaul Haque Choudhury 2/9/1990 29/11/1992
21 Md. Golam Akbar 30/11/1992 19/10/1999
22 Md. Khoda Bakhs Mridha 26/04/2000 6/8/2000
23 Md. Masum Ali 1/3/2001 24/04/2002
24 Abul Asad Mahmud 25/08/2002 30/07/2005
25 Md. Shafiq Uddin 30/07/2005 7/3/2007
25 S. M. Razaul Haque 21/04/2007 31/01/2008
26 Md. Abdul Wadud 8/4/2008 28/03/2009
27 Md. Habibur Rahman 5/7/2009 14/08/2014
28 Shish Mohammad 27/12/2014 30/12/2014
29 Al-Faruk Choudhury 1/1/2015 2020
30 Md. Abdul Khaleque 2020 03/10/2021
31 Md. Oliur Rahman 2021 Continuing
Source: "Former Vice Principals". Rajshahi College.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rajshahi College.

References

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  1. ^ "Information of Rajshahi City". Rajshahi City Corporation.
  2. ^ "Rajshahi College". Banglapedia. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  3. ^ "Education Institute of Rajshahi City". Rajshahi College. Rajshahi City Corporation.
  4. ^ First Shaheed Minar built two days after Ekushey (1952)
  5. ^ প্রসপেক্টাস, রাজশাহী কলেজ [Prospectas, Rajshahi College]. অনলাইন ভর্তি কার্যক্রম [Online Admission System]. Admission in 2014-15 (in Bengali). Rajshahi, Bangladesh. 2014-11-01.
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