GUWAHATI: It holds the distinction of being the first Assamese-medium school in undivided Goalpara district and enjoys the privilege of having Meghalaya’s first chief minister, Captain Williamson A. Sangma and national-award winning actor Adil Hussain and many other personalities, as its alumni.
Established in 1868, Prithiram Government Higher Secondary and Multi-Purpose School in Goalpara town has completed a 150-year-old journey and to mark the momentous occasion, the concluding ceremony of the three-day programme to wind up the year-long sesquicentennial celebration of the landmark institution is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.
“This is indeed a momentous occasion and we have had as many as 1500 alumni present today at the function where they got a chance to relive their morning assembly with present students besides remembering countless moments of their academic days at the institution,” the school’s principal, Sozimuddin Ahmed told The Shillong Times on Saturday.
The events during the three-day function include a souvenir launch, book fair, exhibition, felicitation, cultural nite and a seminar on “challenges of education in government schools and responsibilities of the government”.
Assam chief minister, Sarbananda Sonowal and food and civil supplies minister, Phani Bhushan Choudhury, Dr Nirmal Kumar Choudhury an alumunus and a host of personalities have consented to grace the closing day of the three-day programme on Sunday.
“Actor Adil Hussain is the icon of the institution and although he is currently out of India, he has sent his best wishes for the occasion. Apart from Assam, we have had distinguished personalities from Meghalaya such as Meghalaya’s first chief minister, Captain Williamson Sangma besides former chief minister and Lok Speaker, Purno A Sangma, albeit for a brief stint of six months, as our past pupils,” Ahmed said.
A digital library set up at a cost of about Rs 1crore was inaugurated by Barpeta deputy commissioner, Thaneswar Malakar, an alumnus of the school, on Saturday.
“The digital library has been donated by an NRI and an alumnus, Partha Pratim Choudhury, who has invested over Rs 1 crore to not only set up the facility at the institution but to employ manpower to run it. The library will be open for use by students from 9am to 3pm and for the general public from 3pm to 8pm,” the school principal informed.
A documentary on the school and its 150-year-old journey is also being prepared. “The documentary is being prepared with the help of a drone. An alumnus, Abhijit Rabha has been making the effort since the past month to document the needful supported by pictures taken by the drone,” Ahmed said.