# Viqarunnisa Noon School and College

Viqarunnisa Noon School & College (Bengali: ভিকারুননিসা নূন স্কুল এন্ড কলেজ), also known as VNSC, is an all-girls secondary school and college in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It has about 25,000 students at four campuses in the city. It is named after Viqar un Nisa Noon.

## History

The school began as Ramna Preparatory School in 1947. Austrian Pakistani social worker Begum Viqar un Nisa Noon, wife of the then-governor of East Pakistan, Firoz Khan Noon, was impressed when she visited in 1950. With her support the school moved to its current Baily Road location, where it was renamed in her honour on 14 January 1952.
It soon expanded to a high school and, in 1956, prepared students for the Senior Cambridge Examination. In 1978, it started a college section with higher secondary courses. In 1986, a day shift was introduced in the main campus. The school opened additional branches in Azimpur, Bashundhara, and Dhanmondi. In 1989, a parent, Sagira Morshed Salam, was killed by a mugger in an attempted mugging in front of the school.
A team from the school participated in an international handball tournament in Denmark in 1992.
In 1995, the school introduced English medium courses.
On 10 April 2004, the principal of the school, Royena Hossain, filed a case against former member of parliament and Awami League politician, HBM Iqbal who was the chairman of the Viqarunnisa University Foundation with the Dhaka District and Sessions Judge's Court, alleging he had embezzled more than 80 million BDT from the foundation's fund. Staff of Viqarunnisa University were also accused in the case.
In 2005, Viqarunnisa Noon School and College was second college under the Dhaka Education Board. In August 2009, the Government of Pakistan, through the High Commission in Dhaka, provided funding for a computer lab for the Azimpur branch of the school.
In 2007, Viqarunnisa Noon School and College was one of three top colleges under the Dhaka Education Board. In April 2008, a forum for guardians of students at the school was created. Two students of the school were kidnapped and subsequently rescued by Bangladesh Police from Asad Gate and Uttara Model Town.
In 2009, the school was one of top three in Bangladesh in Secondary School Exam results. In March 2010, the Ministry of Education made Rokeya Akter the acting principal after she was removed by the board of governors of the school. In June 2010, the government appointed Hosne Ara Begum principal of Viqarunnisa Noon School.
A teacher of Viqarunnisa, Porimol Joydhor, sexually assaulted a Class X student and recorded her on his phone in 2011. He also threatened her by saying he would release the recordings on the internet. The victim wrote complaints to school authorities, but they did not take any steps. This led to massive criticism and caused protests. Students demanded the resignation of Principal Husne Ara Begum. On 13 October 2011, Husne Ara Begum resigned from the post of Principal. The teacher was sentenced to life imprisonment on 25 November 2015.
In March 2017, Justice Zinat Ara and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque of the High Court Division asked the school to not collect extra tuition.
A ninth grade student, Aritry Odhikari, committed suicide after being insulted by school authorities in December 2018. This incident received nation-wide attention and sparked protests. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said the incident was "painful and tragic". A probe by the Ministry of Education found various irregularities within the school administration. Two teachers were indicted by the court. Arrest warrants have been issued against them. Some students protested demanding the release of one of the detained teachers. Principal Nazneen Ferdous was removed and Hasina Begum was appointed the acting principal.
In April 2019, the Dhaka Education Board stopped the recruitment process for a new principal of the school following reports of irregularities in the recruitment process. Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Khairul Alam of the Bangladesh High Court halted the appointment of Fouzia Raozan on 16 September 2019 following a petition filed by a lawyer of the High Court Division arguing that the government did not have the authority to appoint a principal and that authority belonged to the governing body of the school. The High Court Division later allowed the appointment to proceed and the Chief Justice Justice Hasan Foez Siddique refused to hear a petition challenging her appointment by Advocate Eunus Ali Akond.
The Ministry of Education removed Principal Faugia Rezwan for allegations of corruption and made an Officer on Special Duty in December 2020.
In August 2021, a recording of a conversation between Principal Kamrun Nahar and a guardian was leaked and went viral on social media. Following which, Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman issued an order for departmental investigation against the principal.
On 16 January 2023, the Ministry of Education issued a circular limiting additional admittance beyond the number of seats in a school to five percent. This stopped the admission of 41 students who parents filed a petition against the circular with the Bangladesh High court. Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Ali issued a verdict ordering the school to ignore the ministry circular and admit 41 students to grade one. In May 2023, Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Showkat Ali Chowdhury of the High Court Division ordered the school to admit 18 students to grade one whose siblings were students at the school.

## Campuses

The main campus in Bailey Road covers about six acres of land. With growing admissions, the school eventually introduced multiple sections, afternoon shifts, and three branch campuses in Dhaka at Dhanmondi, Azimpur, and Bashundhara. Its Dhanmondi address is House No.6, Road No.80 Dhanmondi R/A, Dhak.

## Curriculum

There are English version and Bengali-medium courses of study in three programmes: humanities (only Bengali - medium), science (both English version and Bengali - medium), and business studies (only Bengali - medium). As of 2012, the school had 650 teachers. Enrollment is more than 30,000 students. Only girls are admitted. The school and college section admits students from all branches of the school and from other areas of Bangladesh.

## Notable alumni

* Luna Shamsuddoha — banker and entrepreneur

## Notable faculty

* Nurjahan Murshid — veteran of the Bangladesh Liberation War, cabinet minister