Aligarh Muslim University decided to set up a Centre of General Education as an integral part of its development programme with the aim as described by the then Vice Chancellor Col. Basheer Husain Zaidi. He concluded that,“This Centre will contribute towards the development of an integrated University community and all sided growth of the personalities of the students through its curricular programmes.”
To attain this end, immediately GEC was set up in 1956 in the Victoria Gate Building and Dr.Yusuf Hussain Khan became the first coordinator of GEC. Then in 1962, during the tenure of Prof. Moonis Reza, who worked as the Coordinator from 1962 to 1964, the proposal for new building of General Education Centre was accelerated. Prof. Reza did not leave any stone unturned to convince Ford Foundation of USA to donate the generous grant of rupees twenty-two lakhs.
Prof Reza’s concept took practical shape and University hired the famous American architect Padamshri Joseph Allen Stein, to complete the historical task. Prof.Reza communicated the concept and idea of General Education Centre to Stein to design the building in a unique style.
Mr. C.D. Deshmukh, the then chairman of University Grant Commission laid the foundation stone of the General Education Centre building on 8th November 1962. Construction began in 1962 and was completed in the year 1964. ‘Pen Workers’ a famous company of Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) had furnished the interior of the building. Abdul Jabbar Khan, the then University Engineer, looked after the civil works of the structure.
GEC TO CEC
As the University flourished to cater the academic and professional demand of the country youth, the courses and the faculties of GEC were transferred to the new departments representing the expanding mood of University education system. The UGC derecognized the courses of General Education Centre and initiated promoting the concept of cultural activities while recognizing the significant impact of co-curricular activities on academic achievements and personality development of students.
This challenge was taken positively by the University and on the initiative of the presidents and the coordinator of GEC Dr. F S Sherani, the Academic Council of AMU on 12th Nov 2013 had unanimously resolved to rechristen the name of General Education Centre as the “Cultural Education Centre”, and Dr. F.S. Sherani recognized as the first coordinator of Cultural Education Centre, Aligarh Muslim University.