The Heritage Group plans to start a university, its promoters announced at the silver jubilee celebrations of The Heritage School on Wednesday.

“As we celebrate the first 25 years, we must also look ahead. The future is even more exciting than the past. We are now preparing to take Heritage to the next level through the establishment of a university,” said Sajjan Bhajanka, secretary of the Kalyan Bharati Trust, which runs the Heritage Group of Institutions.

The Heritage School completed 25 years on Wednesday. The group’s expansion began with the launch of the Heritage Institute of Technology in September 2001, followed by the establishment of Heritage Law College, The Heritage College and The Heritage Academy.

“We want Heritage to become a centre of excellence and contribute not only to Bengal and India but to the global knowledge community,” Bhajanka said.

The chief guest at the jubilee celebrations, Union minister of state for education and Balurghat MP Sukanta Majumdar, promised help.

“We are increasing the capacity of the government sector, and along with that, the private sector also has to come forward. It’s a good thing that this group has taken an initiative to open a university here, and all kinds of cooperation will be provided to them in this regard from our end,” Majumdar said.

The group plans to apply to the University Grants Commission (UGC) for university status shortly.

“We have been planning to be a university for several years, and we are going ahead because we are an autonomous engineering college. We plan to submit the application immediately,” said Pradip Agarwal, CEO of The Heritage Group.

The group has dedicated around 600,000 sq ft on its Anandapur campus to higher education institutions, Agarwal said.

The event celebrated the all-round achievements of students, showcasing excellence in academics, sports and a range of extracurricular activities.

“Twenty years ago, we were a fledgling school...and finally we are celebrating 25 years. We are a little nervous, a little excited, but also happy about it,” said Seema Sapru, the principal of The Heritage School.