Education minister asks teachers to restore past glory of Patna College

PATNA: Patna College, the oldest institution of higher education in the state, would get all the necessary grants meant for “heritage institutions” for ensuring its all-round development, state education minister Ashok Kumar Chaudhary said at a function to mark the college’s 159th foundation day celebrations on Saturday.
Chaudhary, an alumnus of the college, called upon the teachers and employees to work whole-heartedly for the proper academic growth of this premier institution which was once considered to be the “Oxford of the East”.“Academics must not remain in ivory towers. They should instead come forward in resolving the present crisis gripping the college. They should analyse the real cause of the growing deterioration of academic standards in the state and show the younger generation the right path,” he said.
Other guests, including Patna University (PU) vice-chancellor Girish Kumar Chaudhary, former VCs Rash Bihari Prasad Singh and Laxmi Niwas Ram and pro-VC Ajay Kumar Singh recalled the glorious tradition of the college and called upon the present generation to maintain it at all costs. Even though the college might have been awarded poor grade in recent NAAC assessment, it still commands great respect in the popular imagination of the people of the state, they said.
Welcoming the guests, college principal Ashok Kumar drew the attention of the minister towards the constraints obstructing college’s proper academic and infrastructural growth and urged him to provide necessary financial and administrative support to his alma mater.
The minister unfurled the college flag and released 159 balloons of different colours in the sky symbolising as many eventful years in the life of the college.
Two teachers of the college – Daisy Narain of history department and Randhir Kumar Singh of sociology department – and two honours toppers Masoom Ali (Urdu) and Jamshed Alam (Persian) were felicitated on the occasion. A book written by college psychology department teacher Sheo Sagar Prasad was also released by the minister.