Starting the journey with just 33 students in 1914, Queen Mary’s College completed a hundred years of nurturing women in higher education, on Monday.
The 6,000-strong student body, 205 teachers and a set of beaming alumni members came together to celebrate the college’s commitment to women’s education and empowerment, at the college campus on Kamarajar Salai.
According to principal Aktar Begum, the institution’s pledge towards higher education for all has seen it through its century-long tryst with the city.
Principal secretary, higher education, Hemant Kumar Sinha, hailed the college’s growth. “Today is a great occasion to celebrate a college started exclusively for women,” he said, adding that several years past Independence, issues pertaining to women still persist. “In this context, it is a happy occasion for Queen Mary’s to celebrate its hundred years and also for doing a great job in promoting music and sports among women,” he said.
Higher education minister P. Palaniappan, who planted a sapling in the college, said, “This college has helped shape many women who have gone on to occupy important positions.”
Cultural programmes were conducted, and a postal stamp was released to mark the day.
