Oldest Colleges/Universities in Assam and North East India

Oldest Colleges/Universities in Assam and North East India

 

 

Cotton College, Guwahati

Cotton College was established in 1901 by Sir Henry Stedman Cotton, the Chief Commissioner of the erstwhile British province of Assam. It had been the oldest institute of higher education in Assam, and the whole northeast India. It became the constituent college of Gauhati University in 1948, and then that of the Cotton College State University, when CCSU was established by an Act (Act XIX of 2011) of the Assam Government in 2011. It was established under The Cotton University Act, 2017 of the Assam Legislative Assembly to merge the Cotton College State University (CCSU) and Cotton College.

The college was started with five professors, which included Frederick William Sudmerson, the first principal of the college, and 39 students. The college was the centre of the freedom movement and the literary and cultural movements of the state to build the identity of Assam as a distinct integral component of India.

The college was declared as Special Heritage College in 2015.

 

B.R.M Govt. Law College (earlier Earle Law College)

B.R.M Govt. Law College was established in 1914 as Earle Law College. Named after Sir Archdale Early, the then Chief Commissioner of Assam, it has been a pioneer institute for legal studies in this part of the Country. It is a culmination of public sentiment and genuine demand of the people of Assam and vision of some of its eminent sons like Manik Chandra Baruah, Nabin Chandra Bordoloi, Tarun Ram Phukan, Rai Bahadur Bhuban Ram Das, Rai Bahadur Kalicharan SEn, S.N.Lahiri who saw it passed by the Education Conference held at Lord Curzon Hall (Now Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Hall) on September 12th,1912. This experimental measure which was set up for 5 years has now completed 100 years of establishment. It has come a long way since then and has produced innumerable legal luminaries.

Guwahati, or Pragjyotishpur as it was called in ancient times,occupies a unique place in development of Assamese Nationality, its culture, customs, art and literature,sports and education. Alongwith the establishment of Cotton College in 1901,Raibahadur Bhuban Ram Das and Manik Chandra Baruah had another venture in their mind for the people of Assam. As good number of students of this part of the country had to go to Calcutta (now Kolkata) for pursuing a degree in Law.. Baruah through his rentless efforts could convince the British Government and ultimately the Hunter Commission in 1903 recommended the establishment of a separate law college for Assam instead of having law classes in Cotton College. The then Chief Commissioner of Assam Sir Archdale Earle took all necessary steps for a law college in Assam.

It was the first Post-Graduate institute in North East India.

 

St. Edmund's College, Shillong

St. Edmund’s College, often abbreviated as SEC is an educational institute of the Congregation of Christian Brothers located in Shillong, Meghalaya, India. It is the oldest college in Meghalaya and second oldest in Northeast India behind Cotton College, Guwahati (1901). It was established in 1924 and celebrated its Platinum Jubilee in 1999. An alumnus of St. Edmund’s College, Shillong or St. Edmund’s School, Shillong is often called an Edmundian.

The Christian Brothers were invited to Shillong in 1915 and St. Edmund’s College began in 1916. It was, however, in 1923 that the College was ready to start Inter-Arts and Inter-Science classes, and affiliation to Calcutta University, for these courses was received in 1923. The first classes of the University section of St. Edmund’s College opened in 1924. Bro. J E McCann was the first Principal of the College (he was also the Principal of the School at this time). Bro. I.O’ Leary was the first Principal of the College (separate from the School).

St. Edmund’s College, Shillong is one of the premier institutions of the North East of India and Meghalaya in particular. Since 1924, till the present date, St. Edmund’s College has maintained its excellence by regularly introducing new courses, updating its infrastructure, achieving the highest academic records and maintaining discipline of the students.

 

St. Anthony's College

From 1934 to 2011 is a long glorious march and St. Anthony’s is 77 years old!!! From itsFr. Joseph Baciarello humble beginning in a makeshift wooden structure near Don Bosco Square to its present enviable stature of imposing infrastructure and outstanding output, St. Anthony’s College has come a long way telling the story of achievements, growth and consolidation. First ever Five Star accreditation by the NAAC in the North-eastern region, excellent service in reaching quality education to the door steps of the less privileged section of the society, pioneering student-friendly professional courses, ever increasing relevance in empowering the poor sections of the society, – all these have combined to keep SAC imposingly in focus.

 

Gurucharan College, Silchar

Gurucharan College, Silchar, a.k.a. G.C. College, was established on 15 July 1935. Originally the college was housed in a deserted bungalow of Promode Chandra Dutta at Rongpur on the bank of river Barak. Now the college has a vast campus of about 7.1 acres (2.9 ha) in the Silchar Municipal area.

Gurucharan College came into being on account of the far-sighted vision of Late Bishnu Charan Dey Purkayastha of the Department of education, Assam, To give a shape to his vision of establish a college at Silchar, he got the support of Late Kiron Sashi Nag, the widow of Late Guru Charan Nag, who came forward with a generous donation of Rs. 10,000, in 1934 for the establishment of the college.

The college acquired its name after Kiron Sashi Nag’s husband Gurucharan and special emphasis was put on women education. Arun Kumar Chanda, ‘Bar-at-law’ as the founder Principal of the college.

Initially, the college had been affiliated to Calcutta University. In 1949, the college got affiliated to the Gauhati University. With the establishment of the Assam University (Central), Silchar, G.C. College has been affiliated to it since 1994.

 

D. M. College

With a view to impart higher education to the people of Manipur, the Dhanamanjari College, (D.M. College), was established on 6th August 1946 with the generous donation of a sum of Rs. 10,000 (Rupees ten thousand) only by the Dowager Queen, Dhanamanjuri Devi of Manipur.

The D.M. College was for the first time affiliated to the Calcutta University in 1946. In August 1949 this College was affiliated to Gauhati University. During the period between 1949 and 1981, the College emerged as one of the most popular Colleges of the North East India by way of capturing top positions in most of the disciplines over and above their superb performances in sports and other co-curricular activities. In 1981, it was affiliated to Manipur University.

In 1972 the post -graduate classes got merged with the Jawaharlal Nehru University Centre, Imphal which was later on shifted to Canchipur, the present site of the Manipur University .

 

Maharaja Bir Bikram College, Tripura

Maharaja Bir Bikram College or MBB College is a degree college of the Indian state of Tripura, imparting general education in the streams of Science, Commerce and Humanities. Established in 1947 it is the oldest college in the state of Tripura with a campus spread over 264 acres.

 

Guwahati University

The University of Gauhati, popularly known as ‘Gauhati University’, oldest and most renowned University in the entire North East India. Established in 1948, it continues to be a leading teaching and research institution, offering courses in a wide range of disciplines.

The first public demand was made at the annual session of the Assam Association held at Sivasagar in 1917. In 1940 the Government appointed S. K. Bhuyan as Special Officer with the task of collecting relevant information on the selection of site and related matters. The university was established by an act of the State Legislature: the Gauhati University Act 1947 (Assam Act, XVI of 1947) of the government of Assam in 1948. The first court meeting of the university was held on 26 January 1948, which is considered the foundation day, at the old Sudmerson Hall of Cotton College, Guwahati. It had 17 affiliated colleges and eight Post Graduate Departments on its establishment

 

Imphal College

Imphal College was established on 20th August, 1952 as an Arts college at a Mandop (community hall) at Nongmeibung, Imphal. It was established aiming at imparting collegiate education in the evening for the young and employed students with poor economic background. In its infant stage, the college had no land and building of its own. The Imphal college, shifted from the Mandop to Ananda Singh Academy, next to Tombisana High School building and then to Churachand High School building and finally to the present site at Kwakeithel Lamdong.

 

Manipur College

The third oldest premier college in the state, Manipur College enters into the annals history As it completes fifty golden years of its services to the people of Manipur in the field of higher Education. With deep sense of nostalgia, we traverse down the lane and trace its growth. In the year 1958, there were two colleges, namely, D. M. College and Imphal College serving the needs of higher education in Manipur. It was officially established in august, 1958.

 

Fazl Ali College

Fazl Ali College is the premier higher educational institution in Mokokchung, Nagaland. The oldest college in Nagaland, it was inaugurated on 8 September 1959 with Sarwan as Principal. The government took over the college in 1962. The science stream was introduced in 1983 with up-gradation to B.Sc in 1999.

 

Special Mention

Murari Chand University College

Murari Chand University College was the first college in Sylhet. It was established on 27 June 1892 by a local nobleman, Raja Girish Chandra Roy of Roynagar, Sylhet with four teachers and 18 students. From 1892 to 1908 (16 years) until the death of the Raja it remained proprietary. In 1897, the original college building collapsed in a devastating earthquake, of which Raja Girish Chandra himself was a victim. He urged the government to take over the college so that it could continue as an educational institution. The government took over the college in 1908 after the death of Girish Chandra. Then it became an ‘aided’ college. For four years it remained ‘aided’. On 1 April 1912 the college become fully government administered and was considered as an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta. In 1925 the college moved to its current campus at Thackarey Hills (now Tilagarh). It is spread on an area of 112 acres of land of a beautiful natural set-up.

Though the MC College is no more in India but the sylhet town was part of Colonial Assam between 1874 and 1947 and so the establishment of this college also makes part of development of higher education of Assam region.