Government Gordon College

Government Gordon College, Rawalpindi[1][2] is a government college in Rawalpindi, Pakistan that was established as a church school in 1893.[3] The college is named after Andrew Gordon.[1][4]

Government Gordon College
MottoSeek And We Shall Find
Established1893; 131 years ago (1893)
PrincipalProf Dr. Muhammad Idrees
Location,
33°36′33″N 73°03′44″E / 33.609212°N 73.062311°E / 33.609212; 73.062311

The college year is made up of an annual system: examination are held once every year. Enrollment at Gordon College is in thousands of students, with around hundreds living on campus. The campus has many buildings, which include a large stadium (used for hockey, football and cricket), basketball court, tennis courts, and badminton court. The college has a large and historic auditorium. The college includes a great library with thousands of new and old books, which also includes a shelf where all books are gifted from the American Embassy, besides this, it also has an old museum prototype. Now with new reforms, this college developed its BS education level and made it co-education which can serve for both males and females.[3][1]

History

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The history of Gordon College can be traced to 1856 when Christian Grammar High School was established in Raja Bazar near the present campus.[1] The college chapter of the school was opened in 1893 with 14 students as class I.[3] There were six subjects offered at intermediate college: History, Philosophy, Mathematics, English, Persian, and Sanskrit.

In 1893, it was converted into a college and was named after the American Presbyterian Mission head, Andrew Gordon. Initially, it was affiliated with the Calcutta University in British India.[1]

After the partition of India in 1947, it was outside the city area; with increasing population, the college is now surrounded by commercial and official buildings. It is a mix of old and new style buildings and has lost some of its academic claims in the years since it became a state institution. Originally, it was founded as a private, Christian-affiliated institution and was the only college functioning in the city of Rawalpindi.[3]

It has a long history and one professor and principal who best represents that history: Ralph Randles Stewart joined the Gordon College, Rawalpindi in 1911 to teach elementary Botany and Zoology to pre-medical students. He served as a professor in Botany (1917 – 1960) and as principal of the college from 1934 to 1954.[4]

In 1972, the college was nationalized by the government and administration was taken from the church and subsequently was converted into a government college.[1][3][4]

Courses

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Gordon College is one of the oldest academic institutions in Pakistan.[3] It offers education services starting from initial college level studies (11th grade in Pakistan) to the master's degree level.

Degrees are offered in the Sciences and Humanities. Three level of degrees are offered:

  • Intermediate (11th and 12th grades, leading to F.Sc, F.A, ICS and also offers other courses with different combinations)
  • Bachelor (Gordon College has the honor that it is the only public sector or government college in the upper Punjab Potohar region to offer a four-year BS program. The college offers BS in Botany, Mathematics, Information Technology, Economics, Physics, Chemistry, Political Science, Psychology, Statistics and English.)
  • Master's (Currently, Masters in English, Psychology and Political Science is offered.)

Computer Science Education and diploma courses are also offered.

Notable alumni

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Senate of Pakistan

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Yasin, Aamir (23 July 2017). "Gordon College — legacy of the colonial era". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Government Gordon College, Rawalpindi is an affiliated college of the University of the Punjab, Lahore". University of the Punjab website. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Azam Khan (7 February 2011). "Battle for control of Gordon College". The Express Tribune (newspaper). Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k (Muhammad Asif) Gordon College Rawalpindi: A victim of flawed policies Pakistan Observer (newspaper), Published 8 June 2022, Retrieved 21 November 2022