Murari Chand College

Murari Chand College began its journey on 17 June 1886 as Murari Chand High School situated in sylhet is one of the prestigious college of Bangladesh. Popularly known as m c college, the educational institute, founded by Zamindar of Raynagar Raja Girish Chandra Roy to commemorate the memory of his maternal grandfather Murari Chand Ray. FA classes under college section was opened here in 1891 following the permission given by the University of Calcutta. Being a second grade college Murari Chand College formally appeared on 17 June 1892 as the lone college of assam province with 18 students and four teachers. The first batch of students of M C college took part in the FA Examinations in 1893. The tremor of 1897 compeletely demolished the college building as well as the palace of zamindar. Then he had to reconstruct the college. In 1908, the government started to give 500 rupees monthly grant-in aid. Murari Chand College was brought under the government management on 1 April 1912. Then it had 98 students and 6 teachers. An annex building was built for the college beside the school at Gobinda Park, presently known as Hasan Market. BA classes were introduced here in 1916 and the first batch of students appeared before the BA examinations in 1917. The first honours course was introduced in Murari Chand College in 1918 to study Saniskrit. A successful son of Sylhet and the Education Minister of Assam Khan Bahadur Syed Abdul Mazid alias Kaptan Mia alongwith the Governor of Assam Sir Willam Morris laid the foundation stone of Murari Chand College at its present site of Thackeray Hills on 19 August 1921. The college was shifted from Gobinda Park to this new site in 1925.

In the early sixties of the 20th century, a plan to separte the higher secondary and the degree sections was adopted following the recommendations of Sharif Commission. As the result, Sylhet got a separate higher secondary government college, set up beside the eastern side of the old college building in July 1966. The newly founded college was named as Murari Chand Higher Secondary College and the old was renamed as Sylhet Government College. The money spent for upgrading the intermediate level Murari Chand College, established by Raja Girish Chandra Roy, to the degree level from the government's exchequer was the strongest point behind the changing the name of the institution. Later Education Sectary Hedayet Ahmed took initiative to restore the old name and on 31 December 1998, the old college got back its original identity and the new college was renamed as Sylhet Government College after being upgraded to degree level. At present Murari Chand College offers honorus courses in 15 subjects and post-graduation courses in 12 subjects under two faculties beside the higher secondary level courses in science group to ten thousand students. The college does not have the commerce faculty. The number of teachers including the Principal and the Vice Principal of the college is 133. It has a very rich library. Murari Chand College was adjudged as the best educational institute of the country in 2000. [Sayeda Shamsunnahar]