Northeast’s first women’s university gets Rs 29-Cr permanent campus in Jorhat

Jorhat, Feb 25: In a significant milestone for women’s higher education in the Northeast, Assam Women’s University has shifted to its permanent campus at Kaliyapani in Teok under the Mariani Assembly constituency of Jorhat district, more than a decade after its establishment.

The newly constructed campus, built at an estimated cost of Rs 29 crore across 58 bighas of land, was inaugurated on Wednesday by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Describing the occasion as “historic”, the Chief Minister assured continued government support for the institution.

“Today we have inaugurated the women’s university, and in the coming days the state government will provide more funds for its development so that it becomes a powerful educational hub,” Sarma said.

Assam Women’s University is the first women’s university in the Northeast and was established following the passage of a Bill in the Assam Legislative Assembly on July 15, 2013.

It was formally inaugurated on September 11, 2014, under the initiative of then Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

In its initial years, the university functioned from the premises of Assam Agricultural University.

On September 12, 2019, then Governor Jagdish Mukhi appointed Prof. (Dr.) Malini Goswami as the first Vice-Chancellor.

Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, who attended the inaugural ceremony, said that although the university was founded in 2013, it remained “neglected and overlooked”.

“After inaugurating the new buildings of Rabindranath Tagore University, Madhavdev University and Bhattadev University, today we are inaugurating the new building of Assam Women’s University - one of the significant universities of the state. Though it was established in 2013, it remained largely neglected for the past ten years. Construction of the new campus has been underway for the last five years,” Pegu said.

Local MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi described the completion of the permanent campus as a proud moment not only for Jorhat and Assam but for the entire Northeast, saying the university would play a vital role in advancing women’s education and empowerment in the region.

Currently, the university has 17 departments offering 46 academic programmes. It is implementing various skill development initiatives and has adopted the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

The institution has also secured NAAC accreditation, strengthening its academic credentials.

The new campus features modern classrooms, advanced teaching-learning facilities and dedicated offices for faculty members and heads of departments. A girls’ hostel is under construction and is expected to be completed soon.

At present, the university has 1,205 students enrolled.