Govt College of Arts & Sci enters centenary yr, still sailing

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad, Sept 21:

Government College of Arts and Science has become the first college in Marathwada to enter its centenary year.

It may be noted that the then ruler of Hyderabad State launched the first ever junior college as Osmania College in the city in the region on September 22, 1923.

There were only three colleges in Nizam State while one of them was in the region. The history of higher education in the region is incomplete without the college which was pioneering in providing quality education.

It offered only 11th and 12th standards in Arts and Science streams in the beginning. One had to go to Hyderabad for studying undergraduate courses till the establishment of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (the then Marathwada University) on August 23, 1958. The name of the college was changed to ‘Government College of Arts and Science’ when the region was liberated from Nizam rule.

College principal Dr Rajendra Satpute said that his college was the first institute to obtain affiliation from Bamu and started offering UG courses in Arts and Science.

“There was no looking since then. It was difficult to get admission because of the college’s excellence and quality of education. Thousands of students used to line up to take admissions to the college. There was a time when 4,000 to 4,500 were admitted to the different courses in the college in an academic year when it was at the peak,” he said.

Dr Satpute said with the rise in private colleges in adjoining villages of the city, the figure for admissions started declining since 2005.

“Currently, it has 22 departments with junior college (Arts and Science), UG courses (BA and B Sc) and PG courses (three). The strength of students is around 1400 while the number of teaching staff members is 56 out of total 87 approved,” he said.

The principal said that different programmes would be organised throughout the centenary year.

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3 L students complete courses from college

Nearly 3 lakh students have completed, higher secondary, UG and PG courses since 1923. Prominent among them are freedom fighter late Govindbhai Shroff, Justice (retd) Narendra Chapalgaonkar, thinker (late) Moin Shaker, former minister late Abdul Azim, former MLC late M A Aziz, Dr S H Talib, late Javed Naser (former director of All Indian Radio), former MLA late Raibhan Jadhav, theatre and film artists Chandrakant Kulkarni, Pratiksha Lonkar and late Dr Laxman Deshpande, former MP Chandrakant Khaire, former joint director Dr Mohammed Fayyaz and MLC Vikram Kale.

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Names of some of principals

Moulvi Abdul Haq, commonly known as Baba-e-Urdu (Father of Urdu) was the first principal of the college. The names of some other principals of the colleges are as follows; G N Thatte, Dr M G Deshmukh, Dr Syed Naeemuddin, M V Mirashi, Dr R A Kulkarni, M R Moholkar, Dr B L Bhalchandra, P B Pohekar, Dr Ranjan Garge, Dr Kumud Gore and Dr Rohini Kulkarni.

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Highlights of colleges

--Only college across the State that offers a UG course in Polymer Chemistry

--The college preserved the old logo ‘Ain’ that is in the shape of an Urdu alphabet

--The Government sanctioned Rs 10 crore for the centenary year, but, the college did not get it due to political upheaval

--District administration started the renovation of the protection wall and Mir Adil Darwaza (gate) of the college