Demand for a University status for SCD Government College, Ludhiana crops up at Teachers Day Celebrations by the Alumni of the college

Ludhiana, September 6, 2026: Alumni of Satish Chander Dhawan (SCD) Government College, Ludhiana(established in 1920), have demanded University Status for the historic institution. During a virtual discussion of alumni spread across the globe on Teachers’ Day, participants paid tribute to teachers who shaped their lives and fondly recalled the 1945 visit of Dr S. Radhakrishnan, then a distinguished educationist and later President of India, to the college during its Silver Jubilee year.
Initiating the discussion, Manjit Singh Sandhu, former KV school principal, said that many institutions, industries, agricultural and scientific organisations established after Independence from scratch had grown into great institutions, while Government College Ludhiana had not received the recognition it deserved despite its glorious history and continuing reputation. He expressed the dream of seeing it develop as Government College University, Ludhiana, on the lines of Government College University Lahore, and suggested that the matter be raised in both Parliament and the Punjab Assembly.
Prof. P.K. Sharma said that collective efforts of alumni and all stakeholders could translate the vision into reality. 
Dalbir Singh Mauli, entrepreneur, observed that the college authorities had a major role in taking the proposal forward, but tangible results would require strong and sustained alumni support. 
A.K. Thamman, former bank AGM, felt that the initiative should essentially originate from the present Principal and faculty. A dedicated faculty, he said, could work wonders in achieving academic excellence and producing future educationists, administrators, business leaders and changemakers, while alumni could supplement such efforts. 
O.P. Verma, PCS (Retd.), said alumni were always concerned about the college’s future and the larger cause of higher education.
Summing up the discussion, Brij Bhushan Goyal, Organizing Secretary, Alumni Association, said that the NAAC-evaluated college already had 11 PG and six UG programmes, substantial infrastructure, a large library, research-active faculty and a 42-acre campus. It gave us scores of Padma Awardees, Sportspersons, Scientists, Sportspersons, Teachers  and Entrepreneurs who have excelled nationally and globally. University status could provide greater academic autonomy to design courses and curricula suited to emerging needs. Strengthening research through PhD programmes, research centres, interdisciplinary studies and industry-linked research could contribute significantly to regional and Punjab’s growth. He said such as State University at Ludhiana could build stronger academic linkages with Ludhiana’s manufacturing, MSME, commerce, logistics, AI/data, entrepreneurship, language and historical sectors, thereby connecting education with employment and regional rejuvenation. Existing facilities, including the PUEL Library, could be further strengthened to university standards. He urged the Punjab Government to provide visionary leadership on the proposal and address wider higher-education concerns, including teachers’ regularisation. Instead of permitting more private universities, Punjab should consider elevating this historic government college into a full-fledged public university to meet the educational aspirations of the region.