Govt. Dyal Singh Graduate College, Lahore, is a philanthropic gift from the late Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia for the people of Lahore. Sardar Dyal Singh (1849-1898), a Jatt of the Gill tribe, was born at Kashi and later moved to Majithia, India. He was educated at Mission Church School. He was a generous, broad-minded, and liberal person who regarded the English language as the key to advancement. He was financially very strong and had vast property in Lahore, Amritsar, and Majithia. Sardar Dyal Singh not only composed poetry, wrote articles, and made friends with renowned literary and political figures of the time, but also extended generous financial assistance to various social and educational institutions.
Dyal Singh was largely responsible for the setting up of Punjab University and was a nominated member of the senate of Punjab University College. He realized the significance of education for modern society, which was still in embryonic form in pre-partitioned India, and established The Union Academy in 1893 in Lahore. It proved to be an asset that Sir Louise Dane, the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, upgraded the academy to a college on May 3, 1910, and named it Dyal Singh College, Lahore.
After independence, this college kept on providing invaluable educational services to the people of Punjab. During the 1960s & 1970s, Dyal Singh College was one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Lahore. However, the last few decades of the twentieth century proved not so good. With the advent of the new millennium, a new era started. A post-graduate academic block was constructed after demolishing a dilapidated hostel building. In 2002, the then principal, Dr. Muhammad Kaleem, made a fresh attempt to regain the college’s past glory by re-introducing disciplines, i.e., M.Sc. Math, M.A. English, Urdu, and Political Science, and initiating a professional degree program of B.Com.
2020 proved to be a turning point for the revival of glorious academic traditions. The name of the college was changed to Govt. Dyal Singh Graduate College, Lahore. In August 2021, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Hammad Ashraf, soon after his appointment as the principal, introduced nine BS four-year degree programs. As a result of his ambitious policies and sagacious administration, college admissions got a tremendous boost. Nine new BS 4-year degree programs are being introduced this year. Introducing eighteen B.S. four-year programs within two years is an inimitable achievement.
Alhamdulillah, Government Dyal Singh Graduate College, Lahore, is fast regaining its lost prestigious position as a competitive institute to cater to the educational needs of the people of not only Lahore but of Pakistan as well.