Dr. Khastagir Government Girls' School
| Dr. Khastagir Government Girls' High School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
Chittagong Bangladesh | |
| Information | |
| Type | Public, single-sex, day school |
| Motto | Knowledge, Integrity, Service |
| Established | 1907 |
| School district | Chittagong |
| Staff | ~80 |
| Faculty | Humanities, Commerce, Science |
| Grades | 4-10 |
| Number of students | ~2000 |
| Website | khastagirgirlshighschool.com |
Dr. Khastagir Government Girls' High School is a school in Chittagong city, Bangladesh. It is near Jamal Khan, in the central part of the city. It is a large girls' school, established by Annadacharan Khastagir, a pioneer in women's education in Chittagong during the late 19th century.
The school is one of the top schools of Chittagong. It reportedly ranks high in the country in Junior School Certificate and Secondary School Certificate. In 2005, it was the top ranked school in the SSC examination in Chittagong Education Board.[1] In 2011, 2012 and 2013 the school topped JSC examination merit list in Chittagong.[2][3]
History
The school was founded by Dr. Annadacharan Khastagir.[4] During the colonial era, women of the conservative Bangladesh (then part of British India) were behind in education. The situation was worsened by the socio-cultural norms of keeping girls veiled and away from public spaces. Therefore, most educated women were taught at home by their liberal fathers or husbands.
In the midst of this background, Annadacharan Khastagir established the school to provide education to girls. He established a vernacular medium school at Jamal Khan Road in the port city in 1878. Eminent lawyer of the British colonial era, Jatra Mohan Sen (widely known as JM Sen), who married Binodini, third daughter of Dr. Khastagir, made the school exclusively for girls in 1907 and renamed it as Dr. Khastagir Girls' School in memory of his wife and father-in-law after Binodini died in 1906. JM Sen donated seven acres of land and a building to upgrade it into a high English school, which was later subsidized by the government and named as 'Dr Khastagir's Govt High English School For Girls'.
It completed its 100 years in 2007. Since its journey with only three students (Anna Sen, Prem Kusum and Juni), the school produced hundreds of scholars during the past 100 years. It is one of the oldest and prestigious schools in Chittagong, as well as in the country. Through the annals of history, the school has earned fame and respect for its academic excellence, extra-curricular activities and development of girls' education.
Today, the school follows the general national curriculum of Bangladeshi education system and provides education to girls from primary (starting from grade 5) to secondary level (grade 6-10).
Facilities
The school has a large compound with playgrounds, computer lab, science labs, halls and auditorium. Apart from the general curriculum, the school encourage students to engage in extra-curricular activities. Some of these include learning language (with British Council), debating, knitting, drawing and Girl Guides.
Academic terms
There are three academic terms in the year. The first term starts at January and ends around April. The second starts around June and ends in late August. The final term starts around mid-September and ends in the beginning of November.
The students have a month-long summer holiday after the first term and winter holidays after their final term.
Shifts
Due to the large number of students that enroll, the school is divided into two shifts. The morning shift starts at 7 a.m. and ends at noon. The day shift starts in the afternoon and dissolves around 4.30 p.m.
Uniform
The school is known for its colorful uniforms. Students from the morning shift wear dark blue kamiz; students from the day shift wear sea green kamiz, with white salwar, white scarf, white cross-belts and a distinguishing red belt. The girls tie their hair with white ribbons.
Rituals
Both shifts start with a unique ritual of prayer, oath and drill. The school’s two regular traditional drills are known as the “Rumal Nritya” (literally meaning dancing with handkerchief) and the “Rann Sangeet” (literally meaning the battle song) by Kazi Nazrul Islam.
Societies
The school runs a reading group with Bishwa Sahitya Kendra.
Sports and celebrations
The school is famous for its Annual Sports Day performance of drills. During the first term, the students take nearly a month after-school to prepare for the drill. Usually the girls from grade 6 to grade 8 perform it. The students are separated into few groups, such as Luddi with kartals, Gypsy with tambourines and Lathi with canes. The groups dress according to their themes, making the event musical, exceptionally vibrant, and colorful.
The school celebrates its Annual Cultural Day (also known as the Farewell Day), where by students including many of the school’s nationally acclaimed child artists perform music, dance, drama, poetry etc. It is called the farewell day, because the show is hosted as a tribute to the senior school leavers.
The school marks each year with an Annual Prayer.
Celebration of a Century
The school celebrated its 100 years in 2007. Many of its alumnae gathered to join in the three-day-long celebration. The celebration ended with turning off all the dazzling lights and lighting around 2,000 candles gradually on the campus, with the participating students, teachers and guests singing Tagore's 'Purano Sei Diner Kotha'.[5]
Notable alumnae
- Pritilata Waddedar, anti-British revolutionary
- Badrunnesa Begum, former headmistress of the school
- Dr. Sufia Rahman, former adviser to a caretaker government
- Dr. Tahmina Banu, head of the Paediatric Surgery department of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH)
- General Dr. Suraiya Rahman, Bangladesh's first female brigadier
- Ivy Rahman, prominent politician
- Kalpana Datta, anti-British revolutionary
- Maitreyi Devi, poet, novelist and protegée of poet Rabindranath Tagore
- Novera Ahmed, pioneer sculptor (credited for the original design of the Shaheed Minar)
- Pratibha Mutsuddi, Ekushey Padak recipient, Bengali Language Movement hero, educator and women activist
- Shamsunnahar Mahmud, writer, politician and educator
See also
References
- ↑ SSC Examinations: 60.92 pc pass under Ctg Board, The Daily Star, July 10, 2005
- ↑ "Khastagir Govt School tops JSC". The daily star.
- ↑ "JSC Result of Chittagong Education Board: Girls lead in GPA-5 but fall behind in pass rate". The Daily Star. Dec 28, 2012.
- ↑ "DRESSING TO CURE - Kadambini, Anandibai and better medical care for women". The Telegraph. August 12, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Celebrations take alumnae back to joyous schooldays". The Daily Star.