Department of Khasi

The Khasi Department of Synod College, Shillong, developed along with the growth of the college itself which was founded on the 1st day of July 1965. The Department had been evolving from small beginning 1965, when the College was merely a night College, at the Shillong Government Boy’s High School Building, Mawkhar. The Khasi Department, among the 6th Departments in 1965 is one of the oldest in the College, and most historic in its academic sense. Today, it stands the biggest Department in terms of enrolment and students population in the Institution. Way back in the year of commencement 1695, the Department conducted Khasi MIL and Second Language classes at the one year Pre-University level only. With 46 students on the roll of the College. That was, no doubt a very humble beginning for the Department in particular and for the College as a whole. Though the result was not that good, yet it was a matter of pride for the generation to know that when the Pre-University result of the Second Batch was out in 1967, it was found that about 54% were successful, three of them passed in the Second Division, and one of those three has secured letter mark (i.e. 80%) in the Khasi Papers. After two years of its existence, that is from the 1967-68 Academic Session, it was virtually upgraded from the Pre-University Department to the Degree Department. When the B.A 1st year class was initially started. Ever since, it continue to teach the three years degree courses but only in the Night Classes, and the process was moving on till the end of the Academic Session 1974-75. Then came a vista of grate change in the History of the College and of the Department as well. The commendable extent of the Department had been wider and larger with the opening of the Day Classes in the year 1975, with General or Passed Courses only. Just in the year following, that is 1976 the Department was once again upgraded to another Higher Level of Teaching with the introduction of the Khasi Honours Course. True, to the fact, it was indeed a notable milestone on the road along which the Department was grouping its way towards higher development. It was, so to say, one of the great turning points in the History of Khasi Department. More glory was added to the Department (and the College as a whole) when an Honours Student of the First Batch, in the person of Miss Patricia Syiem, came out with flying colours by securing 1st Class first in the NEHU Final Examination 1979. From then on the performance of the students passing Khasi Honours was commendable. Another notable History of the Department is that student who came out with flying colours in the Post Graduate Degree were placed in a very good position. Some of them are appointed as College Professor and others are placed in different fields of the Government Job.