On 16th July, 1939, an enthusiastic, farsighted, confident lady Late Rajabala Das established Handique Girls’ College with a sweet dream in her mind i.e. to enthuse the womenfolk of the whole of the Northeast India in general and Assam in Particular, into partaking of the benefits of female education. Today we find that her dream become reality. Starting with merely two girl students, Handique Girls’ College has at present more than two thousand and five hundred students. We can proudly mention the names of a number of leading ladies of the society who have had their education in this premier institution; to mention a few: late Dr. Nirmal Prova Bordoloi, Jnanpith recipient Mamani Raisom Goswami, Sangeet Natak Academy awardee Sudakshina Sarma, former Assam Govt. Minister Dr. Hema Prava Saikia, present Assam Govt. Minister Mrs Ajanta Neog and many more in the fields of Arts and culture, business, teaching, social work and so on. Handique College is proud to boast of such glittering alumni.
Since inception, over seventy years have been passed, and gradually the time has changed so much that society is no more too conservative to confine the girls’ within the four walls of home. We find that girls’ are trying to go ahead equally with the boys. They have entered into a tremendously competitive modern world. Today, people have understood that since about half of the total population consists of women, any society cannot progress if half of the population remains uneducated and backward. So, the whole world has started to realize that a society should be bound t6o educate the women folk if the world expects cent percent literacy and progress. Today, there is an extensive move to foster female education.
At this juncture, a women’ s institution has a major role to play. The institution must take care to educate and empower its students. Beyond academics, it is of utmost importance for the institution to equip the students to face the social challenges and even contribute to societal change and development. The students should be given opportunities to enter the modern frontiers of knowledge.
Keeping pace with the world, Handique Girls’ College has, besides the choice of course including vocational ones, introduced additional job-oriented certificate, diploma and degree courses in computer application, etc. to make them fit for future. The teachers are alert enough to encourage students towards critical thinking, decision making and character building by arranging seminars, group discussions, workshops etc. The college has different committees and clubs through which the teachers and staff are trying not only to make the students economically independent, but to make them spiritually and socially independent so that they can rely themselves and enter life with confidence and dignity.
The college can be proud of preparing a field where opportunities are available to produce empowered women. I hope with the co-operation of the teaching and non-teaching staff and my dear students, the aims and objectives of this historical women’s institution will be fulfilled. Handique Girls’ College as an institution will leave its foot prints on the sands of time to point out the proper path of progress. |
