In memory of his maternal grandfather, Murari Chand Roy,
Raja Girish Chandra Roy—the Zamindar of Raynagar in
Sylhet established a high school named
Murari Chand Entrance School on 17 June 1886. Within a short time, initiatives were taken to upgrade it into a college. With approval from the
University of Calcutta, the F.A. (now equivalent to Higher Secondary) course was introduced in 1891. Continuing this progress,
Murari Chand College formally began its journey on 27 June 1892 as the only second-grade college in the
Assam Province, starting with just 18 students and 4 teachers. In 1893, the first batch of students from the college appeared for the F.A. examination. After the devastating
earthquake of 1897 destroyed both the Zamindar house and the college building, Raja
Girish Chandra Roy rebuilt the college. Despite later facing infrastructural challenges and shortages of teachers, the institution continued to advance. In 1908, the government granted a monthly grant-in-aid of 500 taka, which became an important foundation for the college's sustainability.
Government Takeover On 1 April 1912,
Sir Archdale Earle, the then
Chief Commissioner of Assam, announced that the college would be brought under full government control. At that time, the institution had 98 students and 6 teachers. A separate building for the college was constructed at Govinda Charan Park (now Hasan Market). Through public donations led by Khan Bahadur
Syed Abdul Majid (Kaptan Mia), the B.A. (Degree) course was introduced in July 1916, elevating the institution to a first-grade college. In 1917, the first batch of students appeared for the B.A. examination, and in 1918, the first Honours course in
Sanskrit was introduced. On 19 August 1921, the foundation stone of the new campus at Thackare Hill was laid in the presence of Sir
William Morris, Governor of Assam, and Education Minister Khan Bahadur
Syed Abdul Majid. Around 150 acres of khas land were acquired for the college. On 27 July 1925, Murari Chand College was formally inaugurated on the new campus, and the institution was relocated from Govinda Park to its present site.
Academic History The I.Sc. (Intermediate Science) program was introduced in 1913. Between 1918 and 1922,
Honours courses were launched in Sanskrit, English, Persian, Arabic, Mathematics, Philosophy, and History. In 1926, the Degree Science program was added, followed by Honours courses in Physics and Chemistry in 1927. Until the
Partition of India in 1947, the college was affiliated with the
University of Calcutta. In 1955, under the
University of Dhaka, the Honours programs were temporarily discontinued. In 1961, Honours courses were reintroduced in Bangla, English, Political Science, Economics, Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry. In 1968, the college came under the newly established
University of Chittagong, and in 1970, Master's programs were opened but later suspended due to a shortage of teachers. Honours in Botany began in 1972. After the establishment of the
National University in 1993, the college was brought under its affiliation.
Name Changes and Renaming In 1964, under a policy decision of the Pakistan government's education department, the higher secondary sections of major colleges were separated. As a result, the humanities and commerce streams of the higher secondary level were discontinued at
Murari Chand College, although the science stream was retained under special consideration. A separate government higher secondary college began operating on the eastern side of the campus in July 1966. The new institution was named
Murari Chand Higher Secondary College, while the original Murari Chand College was renamed
Sylhet Government College. The reasoning was that Murari Chand College, founded by
Raja Girish Chandra Roy, had originally been a higher secondary institution that was later upgraded to the degree level at government expense. Later, on 31 December 1989, a
Ministry of Education notification restored the institution's traditional name, renaming it
Murari Chand College once again. The higher secondary institution, on the other hand, retained the name Sylhet Government College. ==Campus==