A Brief History Of The College

National College, Trichinopoly was founded on 11th June 1919, due to Diwan Bahadur S.Rm. Ct. Pethachi Chettiar, Zamindar of Andipatti and the collective initiative and zeal of eminent personalities Justice T.V. Seshagiri Iyer, Sir. T. Desikachariar, Sri. N. D. Subbarama Iyer and Sri. S. Sivaramakrishna Iyer. The college has its origin in the National High School founded on 11th June 1886.

The founders conceived the idea of a National Institution to promote among the youth, the loftiest ideals that constitute the essence of Indian culture and nationalism. True to its name, National College continues to impart cultural values and fulfill its role as one of the country’s premiere nation-building institutions. Under the stewardship of eminent scholars and administrators as its principals and secretaries, the college has become a seat for higher education and has earned a reputation for its high education standards.

The college operated on the Teppakkulam campus for nearly four decades, starting in 1919. On July 8, 1959, the college started functioning from the present new campus, close to the railway junction on the Tiruchirappalli-Dingdigul Highway.

The college celebrated its golden jubilee in 1959. The National Evening College emerged in 1978 to cater to the needs of employed youth who wanted to improve their knowledge base. The Diamond Jubilee of the College was celebrated in the years 1980–81 under the presidency of Hon’ble Shri R. Venkataraman, the most distinguished alumnus, the then Minister of Finance, Government of India, who later became the President of India.

The Platinum Jubilee was celebrated in 1995, and the celebrations were presided over by Dr. V.R. Muthukaruppan, the then Vice-Chancellor of Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli. The ‘Evening College’ transitioned to the ‘Unaided Programmes’ in the academic year 2005–06. The ‘aided programs’ and the ‘unaided programs’ coexist.

The college introduced a co-education pattern in the academic year 2007 to fulfill its social commitment to the education of girls in the area of higher education. The college offers seventeen postgraduate and twenty-seven undergraduate programs, apart from job-oriented programs. Fifteen departments offer the facility to register for doctoral degree programs. The staff members vie with each other to produce quality research publications.

The establishment of the National College Instrumentation Facility (NCIF) in 2012, which is one of its kind in this part of the country, is one of the examples of the provision of adequate infrastructure for high-end research by the college. This supports a wide spectrum of researchers in science, across the country.

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), accredited the college at ‘A’ level in the first cycle (2005) and ‘A+” in the third cycle (2016). The University Grants Commission (UGC) conferred “Autonomous” status in 2010 and conferred the privilege of “College with Potential for Excellence” status in 2011. The MHRD, Government of India, has identified the College for Study in India (SII) Programme, to admit foreign students in various academic programs. After the trifurcation of the National College Council in 2004, the newly named “Academy of Higher Education”, under whose jurisdiction the National College and Sesha Iyengar Memorial Higher Secondary School came, saw a turning point in all aspects. New courses were introduced, and the college’s strength also greatly improved under the dynamic leadership of Shri. N. N. Seshadri as President and Shri. K. Ragunathan as secretary.

In 2010, Padmavibushan Dr. V. Krishnamurthy assumed office as the President of the Educational Agency and the College Committee. It was the beginning of the Renaissance for the college. The college underwent massive infrastructure developments, including the construction of a new class room block with 48 rooms, a girls hostel that could accommodate over 300 students, both indoor and outdoor sports stadiums, a library building, an amphitheater, a gym, and a yoga hall. To commemorate the centenary, the college constructed a grand new, imposing entrance and an open-air auditorium. The college’s atmosphere underwent a significant transformation with the addition of fountains and lush greenery. He was also responsible for starting Rajam Krishnamurthy Public School, a new CBSE school, in the year 2019.

Recognizing the contribution of Dr. V. Krishnamurthy to the college, the members of the managing agency renamed it as “Dr. V. Krishnamurthy Educational Foundation” in 2017. At present, the Dr. V. Krishnamurthy Educational Foundation manages the college along with two schools: “Sesha Iyengar Memorial Higher Secondary School”, situated in the ancient historic town of Woraiyur, Tiruchirappalli, and the “Rajam Krishnamurthy Public School (CBSE) - (RKPS)”, which is situated opposite to the College Campus, abutting the Boys’ Hostel. Empowered with the latest stateof-the-art technology, the RKPS provides an uncompromising and high-quality school education.

The College celebrated the Centenary Year with all grandeur under the presidency of Dr. V. Krishnamurthy in 2019. The celebration comprised a number of events and spanned the whole academic year 2019–2020. The Hon’ble Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, the Vice President of India (2017–2022), inaugurated the Centenary Celebrations on January 10, 2020. It was a memorable momentousness and a once-in-a-lifetime event for students, staff, and the hundreds of alumni and retired staff, who were present on the occasion.

After the demise of President Dr. V. Krishnamurthy in 2022, the college is now managed by a committee consisting of fourteen members, with Sri. Jayakar Krishnamurthy as its president and Sri K. Raghunathan as its secretary. The college has around 269 faculty members, 93 supporting staff, and about 4300 students on the rolls.

With the wholehearted commitment of the management, who brings together world class facilities and brains to infuse the young minds with ethics, human values, and environmental consciousness, and the efforts of the employees and the inquisitive students, the college shall reach greater heights in the forthcoming years. The management is keen on ensuring that children receive a wholesome education from the pre-KG class until the completion of their doctorate degree under the auspicious of “Dr. V. Krishnamurthy Educational Foundation”.