History of TGBHS
A Brief History of Thakurgaon Government Boys’ High School—
Thakurgaon Government Boys’ High School stands as one of the premier educational institutions in Bangladesh. It is located in a serene environment in the heart of Thakurgaon town. The school was initially established in 1875 as an M.E. (Middle English) school near the residence of the local Zamindar, situated at the confluence of the Senua and Tangon rivers. On March 1, 1904, it was upgraded to an H.E. (High English) school at the same location. Mr. Ali Mohammad Sarkar served as the Assistant Secretary for many years, beginning from the school’s inception as a High English school. The transformation into an H.E. school in 1904 was actively encouraged by Mr. Hallward, the then Inspector of Schools for the Rajshahi Division.
The original Minor School on the banks of the Tangon River consisted of a single thatched cottage. Following its upgrade to a High English school, a large building belonging to the adjacent Zamindar’s Kachari was used for school activities for many years. Due to space constraints at the original site, the need for relocation arose. To facilitate this, Bibi Taiyaba Khatun, the then Zamindar of the Kusumgram Estate in Bardhaman, donated ten bighas and fifteen kathas of land. The school’s most prominent building (the current administrative building) was constructed on this land between 1906 and 1908, and the school was relocated to its present site in December 1908. Subsequently, the successor of the estate, Syed Badruddoza, donated an additional twenty-five bighas of land. Later, one acre of land was acquired through requisition between 1960 and 1963 for the construction and expansion of the school hostel.
When the school was established as an H.E. school on March 1, 1904, Mr. F.J. Jeffries, the then District Magistrate of Dinajpur, became the first President of the school’s managing committee. He had also served as the President of the M.E. school prior to its upgrade. Until August 31, 1908, the District Magistrates of Dinajpur served as ex-officio Presidents of the school, while the SDOs of Thakurgaon served as ex-officio Secretaries from 1904 to 1910. From 1910 until August 31, 1918, the SDOs of Thakurgaon were designated as ex-officio Vice-Presidents. From September 1, 1918, the SDOs of Thakurgaon began serving as ex-officio Presidents. An exception occurred in 1904 when the Sub-divisional Inspector of Schools, Mr. Abdul Jabbar, served as the President; following his tenure, the SDOs resumed the role of President.
Although an application for affiliation was submitted to the University of Calcutta in 1904, the school received its official recognition towards the end of 1910. From that time until April 18, 1935, the Munsifs of Thakurgaon served as ex-officio Secretaries of the school. Following the nationalization (provincialization) of the institution, the Headmasters have served as ex-officio Secretaries. Since the transformation of the Thakurgaon sub-division into a district on February 1, 1984, the Deputy Commissioners have served as ex-officio Presidents, and the Headmasters have served as the Secretaries.