Govt College reverts to historic name

Title of university dropped after 24 years but status remains

LAHORE:

The Government College University, an institution whose academic legacy stretches back more than 160 years, is set to revert to its historic identity as Government College Lahore under a legislative move by the Punjab government ordering six public sector higher education institutions to drop the word "University" from their official names wherever applicable.

The development follows the Public Sector Universities (Amendment) Act, 2026. Through a notification issued on October 23, the Punjab Higher Education Department directed vice chancellors and rectors of the government and private universities to implement the revised institutional names in accordance with the legislation.

The decision is particularly significant for the Government College University Lahore, which had acquired the university status in 2002 after more than a century of operating as Government College Lahore.

The university will be known as Government College Lahore, marking a symbolic return to its historical identity.

The other institutions covered by the notification are Government College Faisalabad, Government College for Women Faisalabad, Government College for Women Sialkot, Government Sadiq College Bahawalpur and Lahore College for Women.

However, the restoration of the old names will not alter the institutions' mandates and functions relating to higher education.

Established on January 1, 1864 with an initial enrolment of nine students, the Government College gradually developed into one of the country's prominent centres of higher learning. It attained degree awarding status in 1997 before being elevated to university in 2002.

Its history is associated with distinguished personalities, including philosopher and educationist Dr GW Leitner, national poet Allama Iqbal and Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam.

It is not yet clear how the transition will be reflected in academic certificates of current students and graduates. A change in the legal name requires consistent documentation to avoid discrepancies between the existing and future record.

The notification asks the concerned institutions to take necessary action in accordance with the provisions of the act but does not specify a completion deadline.

An old student, Nadeem Malek, said, "This is an excellent development as it was the wish of thousands of old graduates to restore the old name of this historic institution.

It was a top college once but has dropped in recent years. The government should also focus on restoring the historic standard of the college."