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SYLHET, May 20, 2026 (BSS) - Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) Administrator Abdul Kaiyum Chowdhury today said Sylhet was once one of the country’s leading regions in education but it has failed to maintain that legacy.
 
“The region currently lags behind in various educational indicators,” he said and stressed the need for taking collective efforts to restore its past glory.
 
The SCC administrator was addressing a prize-giving ceremony and cultural function organized by Sylhet Government Women’s College here.
 
Highlighting Sylhet’s historic role in women’s education, Abdul Kaiyum said opportunities for higher education for women in the region were once very limited. Despite that, several pioneering women pursued higher education and created history, he added.
 
He mentioned that Shamsi Khanam Chowdhury was Sylhet’s first female graduate and studied at Aligarh Muslim University. He also noted that Leela Nag of Rajnagar in Moulvibazar was the first woman to pursue higher studies in English literature at the University of Dhaka in 1921.
 
He said Sylhet Government Women’s College has long been playing a significant role in expanding women’s education in the region. Many women who studied at the institution later assumed leadership roles in different important sectors of the country, making the college a pioneer in women’s education in Sylhet, he added.
 
However, he observed that the college is yet to achieve its expected level of development. He said former Finance and Planning Minister M. Saifur Rahman nationalized the college in the 1980s but many limitations still remain.
 
“There are still no opportunities for teaching important career-oriented subjects. We want to introduce new academic disciplines, create necessary teaching positions and work on overall infrastructural development,” he said.
 
Addressing the students, he emphasized that the higher secondary stage is crucial for pursuing higher education, as performance during this period shapes future career paths. 
 
He urged students to avoid wasting time unnecessarily on digital devices and instead focus on their studies.
 
The programme was welcomed by Anupa Nahar Waldo, convener of the college’s literary and cultural competition committee.
 
Principal of the college Professor Md. Samsul Islam and its Vice-Principal Professor Dr. Mohammad Humayun Rashid Chowdhury. Acting Secretary of the Teachers’ Council Assistant Professor Nahida Akter, also spoke at the event as special guests.
 
Among others, Nehor Ranjan Purkayastha, officer for education, culture, library and social welfare at Sylhet City Corporation, and teachers and students of the college were present on the occasion.