Queen Mary College (QMC), officially known as Government Queen Mary Graduate College, is an autonomous

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

for girls in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, Pakistan. It was established on December 10, 1908, as Victoria May Girls High School and renamed in honor of the Queen Consort of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

in 1911. Although it was renamed Queen Mary College in 1911, the first college-level class, the Intermediate (Arts) class, commenced in 1955. The college expanded to become a degree-granting college in 1966. The college historically functioned in conjunction with Aitchison College, serving as a counterpart for daughters of the elite. This arrangement necessitated coordinated schedules and holidays. Initially, the college also admitted young boys in the Junior Section up to class V. Queen Mary College provides

preschool A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an school, educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they ...

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

, secondary,

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

as well as

postgraduate Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

education and preparation for international GCE

O Level O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), ...

examination.

History

1908–1962: British administration

Its inception dates back to the late 19th century, evolving from the social and educational dynamics of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. The college was established as a counterpart to Aitchison College, a school founded in 1886 for the sons of rulers of princely states and feudal chiefs, addressing the demand for a similar institution for their daughters. The college's establishment is documented in Jahanara Shahnawaz's book ''Father and Daughter''. Following a

financial endowment A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of Financial instrument, financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to Donor intent, the will of its fo ...

during his visit to India as

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

, local leaders in Lahore, including Sir Muhammad Shafi and Sir Shah Din, advocated for the creation of a girls' school. This led to the formation of a fund-raising committee and the eventual opening of QMC in 1908 in rented premises on Hall Road, Lahore. In 1912, the college relocated to a purpose-built campus, designed by Bhai Ram Singh, who was also responsible for the design of Aitchison College and other notable buildings. The history of QMC can be categorized into three periods: the British era (1908–1962), the mid era (1962–1998), and the present era from 1998 onwards. During the British era, the college established a set of educational, social, and religious norms and included a hostel for students. The curriculum was predominantly in English and included works by authors such as

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

and

John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tub ...

. The college was overseen by an advisory committee comprising prominent women of the time. Facilities at QMC during this period included a canteen, a

health clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care need ...

, and a tailor's shop. Traditions such as the annual sports day on Founder's Day and summer swimming galas were established. QMC's leadership was predominantly British until 1962, with A. J. Edgley serving as the first principal.

1962–present: Local administration

After Mrs. Clayton's tenure as the last British principal of Queen Mary College (QMC), Lahore, major administrative and educational changes occurred with the appointment of Mrs. M. B. Hassan, the first principal appointed by the Education Department of the Government of Punjab. One of the major changes was the induction of teaching staff from other government institutions, leading to an increase in the student body at QMC. In 1977, in accordance with a policy directive from the Department of Education, Government of Punjab, the medium of instruction in all government educational institutions, including QMC, was switched from English to

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, except for subjects such as

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

, and

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

. The college also came under the direct supervision of the Punjab Education Department, which led to frequent staff transfers from other Urdu-medium schools. The proficiency in English of the newly transferred staff, particularly for subjects that continued to be taught in English, varied, as many originated from Urdu-medium educational backgrounds. In 1998, the college was granted autonomy by the Government of Punjab, as per notification No. S.O.(BOARDS) AB-2—15/96 dated March 25, 1998. This autonomy included both administrative and financial independence.

Administration

The college is governed by the

Board of Governors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...

, chaired by the Education Minister of Punjab. The principal of the college serves as the secretary to the board. Additionally, the board includes permanent members from the Punjab Government's higher education and finance departments and nine non-official members appointed by the Governor of Punjab for a term of three years. Since its transition to autonomy, QMC has had four Boards of Governors. The governance structure includes several committees: the executive committee, academic committee, finance and development committee, selection committee, and promotion committee. Decisions within these committees and the Board of Governors are made according to the rules set by the Government of Punjab.

Academics

Education is imparted from Class 1 to the postgraduate level. It comprises four sections and each section is supervised by a section head. The principal is the chief administrator. The sections are Junior, Senior, college and the Postgraduate Section.

Notable alumni

* Zartaj Gul, Pakistani politician * Indira Devi of Kapurthala, Indian socialite * Begum Mahmooda Salim Khan, Pakistani social worker * Faiza Ahmad Malik, Pakistani politician * Maya Ali, Pakistani actress * Zohra Sehgal, Indian actress * Jahanara Shahnawaz, Pakistani politician * Mamoon Rashid Sheikh, Pakistani jurist

References

External links

* {{Schools in Lahore Educational institutions established in 1908 Schools in Lahore High schools in Pakistan Women's universities and colleges in Pakistan 1908 establishments in British India