Krishna Menon Memorial Government Women’s College has been a distinguished pioneer in the higher education of the women of Kannur, ‘the land of looms and lores’. The College came into existence as a realization of a long cherished dream of the progressive citizens of Kannur, who had campaigned for a women’s college in the public sector to meet the higher educational needs of girls. The history of the College can be traced back to the year 1975, when Krishna Menon Memorial Government Women’s College was founded, setting a land mark in the history of Kannur, transforming a poor backward district into a centre of learning and culture. On 16th August 1975, Krishna Menon Memorial Goverment Women’s College was inaugurated as an Institution affiliated to the University of Calicut, offering affordable, accessible and value-oriented education to aspiring learners. Initially, provisional affiliation was granted to the Two year Pre- Degree course with the following combination of subjects under part III:

1. Indian History, World History and Economics
2. Indian History, World History and English
3. Indian History, World History and Hindi
4. Indian History, World History and Hindi
5. Indian History, World History and Malayalam

During its initial stages, the College functioned in a high school building at Payyambalam. Later, the Institution was granted 15 acres of land by the Government of Kerala, near the Jail compound at Pallikkunnu. In 1980, the College was upgraded into a Degree College, thanks to the relentless efforts and dedication of the College Vikasana Samithi. Two Degree courses were inaugurated on 14th September, 1980, by Sri. Baby John, the then Honourable Minister for Education. The courses were: BA Economics (Main) with Modern Indian History and Political Science as subsidiaries. B.A History (Main) with General Economics and Political Science as subsidiaries. In the academic year 1981-82, an additional Degree Course in Economics with Mathematical Economics and Mathematics for Economic Analysis as subsidiaries was sanctioned.

It was in the academic year of 1982-83 that the College was shifted to the present exclusive campus, from its temporary abode at Payyambalam. Initially, the Jail Superintendent’s Bungalow was remodelled to accommodate the Degree classes and the College office. Later, the College Vikasana Samithi undertook the construction of five lecture halls and donated them to the College. Again, it was the commendable initiatives of the College Vikasana Samithi, which gave shape to the much-awaited dream of an auditorium, which was duly completed by the Government and inaugurated on 4th September, 1990. Since the Jail Superintendent’s Bungalow could not provide ample space for the PG Courses, the construction of a new building was initiated on 11th March 1989. Meanwhile, some of the degree classes were shifted to the partially constructed new building in 1991.

The need for starting new courses was increasingly felt and, in 1991-92, the University sanctioned a Degree Course in English with Journalism and Social and Cultural History of Britain as Subsidiaries. Subsequently, B.A Malayalam (Main) with Sanskrit as subsidiary was started in 1993-94. In 1998-99, B.Sc. Physics (Main) with Mathematics and Computer Science as subsidiaries was sanctioned. Along with the well-equipped Physics Lab, a Computer Lab was inaugurated in the same year with 12 computers. The construction of the Computer Lab proved to be a turning point in the history of the College as B.Sc. Mathematics (Main) with Physics and Computer Science as subsidiaries was started in 2000-2001. B.Sc Chemistry (Main) with Physics and Mathematics as subsidiaries was started in 2004. The PG course in English sanctioned during 2004-05 marked a great milestone in the history of the College. The latest addition to the academic programmes is M.A. in Development Economics, which commenced in the year 2012. The Institution owes all these achievements to the will power, enthusiasm, co-operation and educational consciousness of the people of the area.

With regard to the improvement of infrastructure, the Institution has received timely assistance from the Local Area Development (LAD) scheme of the M.P’s, Sri. Mullappally Ramachandran and Sri. A.P. Abdulla Kutty. The College ground and the stadium were constructed with the LAD fund of Sri. Mullappally Ramachandran. Later, a new library building was constructed using the MP fund of Sri. A. P. Abdulla Kutty, under the same scheme. A compound wall for the College was erected by the PWD, utilizing Government fund. The College Development Council (CDC) took the initiative for constructing a hostel in 2003, which was completed in 2005. With the support of the Kerala State Sports Council, a modern Basketball Court was constructed, duly supervised by the PTA. A Canteen run by Kudumbasree, a self -help group, is also functioning in the College premises. A permanent solution was found for the problem of drinking water when a direct connection was taken from the Kerala Water Authority. The College Parent- Teacher Association constructed a well in the campus to find a permanent solution to the water crises.

The Institution offers access to quality education for the socially and economically backward women of Malabar, who had been lagging behind for decades since the formation of the state. Today, the Institution focuses on the holistic development of the minority and backward students, igniting their young minds to accomplish dreams and realize their potential. The relentless and untiring efforts of the Cannanore Women’s Education and Welfare Society that brought this Institution into being, stands vindicated by the present academic prestige that the College enjoys.