SHILLONG, Feb 28: The foundation stone for Rev. Fr. Joseph Bacchiarello Annexe at St. Anthony’s College was laid here by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Monday.
The Rev. Fr. Joseph Bacchiarello Annexe is an additional building dedicated to expand the college library and house the undergraduate and postgraduate science departments as well as the Northeast India Audio Visual Archive.
The annexe is named after Rev. Fr. Joseph Bacchiarello who was the founder and the first Principal of St. Anthony’s College, Shillong, in 1934-1935.
During the British Raj, Fr. Joseph Bacchiarello, the pioneering Principal, rose to the compelling demand for higher education to the deprived indigenous locals and started the college in 1934.
St. Anthony’s College is the first Institution of higher education by the Don Bosco Society worldwide. The year 2022 also marks the centenary celebration of arrival of the Salesians in this hill state.
Speaking during the base-laying ceremony, Principal of the college, Br. Albert L Dkhar shared the magnitude of the annexe, which will be a five-storey building in an area of 3,445 square metres.
Rev. Fr. Paul Olphindro Lyngkot, SDB, Provincial of the Shillong Province, also graced the occasion and blessed the site and laid the foundation stone.
Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma highlighted his innovative approaches to governance driven by technology and innovation, particularly focusing on the partnership with educational institutions and research-driven solutions to various local problems. The CM also shared his experiences as a student with the attendees at the programme.