DU After 100yrs

Dr. Forqan Uddin Ahmed :
Dhaka University (DU) was established as a compensation for the abolition of Partition of Bengal. The official journey of Dhaka University started in 1921. The University was built on 600-acres of land in the most aristocratic and beautiful Ramna area of Dhaka comprising abandoned buildings of East Bengal and Assam provincial government and buildings of Dhaka College (now Curzon Hall). It started its journey as a residential university with three faculties and 12 departments of Arts, Science and Law.
From 1921 to 1947, the activities DU were run by the act 1921. All colleges of East Bengal have been affiliated under this act. Later on, this act had been replaced and repealed by 1961 Ordinance of Ayub Khan, a military ruler. For autonomy of Dhaka University, Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury, Prof Abu Muhammad Habibullah, Professor Khan Sarwar Morshed, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman presented a draft law on behalf of University Teachers’ Association. Following this draft the Dhaka University Ordinance 1973 was promulgated. Since then it had been continuing and it is in practice till today.
Dhaka University is the birthplace of Bangladesh’s independence movement and all progressive movements. All these movements were led by teachers and young students. From 1947 to 1971, many young university students played a leading role in accelerating the independence of Bangladesh. Before 1971, student politics at Dhaka University was the birthplace of future national leaders. The national movement and liberation war that took place during the rule of Pakistan enriched the role and self-sacrifice of both the student teachers of Dhaka University. The primary objective of Operation Searchlight, run by Pakistanis, was to kill teachers and students of Dhaka University. Under this killing mission the Pakistani shoulders killed GC Dev, Dr. ANM Muniruzzaman (Munir Chowdhury), Santosh Chandra Bhattacharya, Dr. Jyotirmoy Guhathakurata, Mofazzal Haider Chowdhury, Dr. Abul Khair, Ghiyasuddin Ahmed, Dr. Sirajul Haque Khan, Rashidul Hasan, Anwar Pasha, Dr. Fazlur Rahman, Dr. Faizul Mohi, Abdul Muktadir (University Physician), Sharafat Ali, Sadat Ali, AR Khan, Anudvaipayan Bhattacharya. Bangladesh as a new state emerged in the world map by the sacrifice of life of teachers, students and other professionals from Dhaka University.
The University was the central focus of the Language Movement from 1948 to 1956. The 1952 Language Movement decisively transformed Bengal politics by locating language as the political differentia specifica of the people of East Bengal. The first phase of student movement was climaxed with the enshrinement of Bengali as a state language. It acted as the foundation of awakening in every moment of national need and eventually became the centre of the movement that led to the creation of the country in 1971. In fact, a single university has rarely had such an immense contribution to making a nation and spreading knowledge in society as DU did. But as the country’s highest echelon of academic excellence celebrates its birth centenary, educationists are now skeptical that the university’s fame is now limited to the region.
Dhaka University cannot be judged on the basis of a generalized definition of a university. It has a huge contribution to political and cultural development, but it is also true that it is lagging now in upholding its academic excellence and reputation. The university’s world ranking is disappointing. One of the reasons, academics pointed out, is the lack of basic research, the key factor behind a university’s academic strength and fame. The university has grown in size but failed to improve the standard of education and research. It seems the university hardly encourages research and publications. Instead of creating new knowledge, many teachers remain busy with non-academic activities including politics. Many teachers are doing research with individual initiative and capacity, but there are questions over their quality. The budgetary allocation for research is also dismal. The DU research centre called CARS (Centre for Advanced Research in Sciences) does not have dedicated scientists for most of its advanced instruments. No training is conducted, and for the most part, the facilities are not accessible. Moreover, the research work carried out within CARS is constricted due to a lack of available funds.
All the great universities of the world thrive because of their strong alumni support network. They bring in their industry support to enhance research collaboration, funding and internship opportunities for students, and scholarly inputs for the growth of a university. I am sure this is being done in many informal channels through departmental initiatives of Dhaka University. There has not been any formal process to involve the views of the stakeholders, however. One may mention the quota of registered graduates in the University Senate; however, the politicization of the senate has reduced the body to a mere stamping agency during the budget meeting in a fiscal year and a VC-nominating agency in every leap year.
Dhaka University’s benefits so far have been measured in socio-cultural and political units. The real impact of the university will be felt once the university realigns its curricula to integrate teaching and learning with the needs of employers; its impact will be felt when it dedicates its research units to knowledge production and promotion for posterity and sustainability; its real impact will be felt when the taxpayers are assured that the money that they are contributing to develop human capital is well-spent-that the graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skill-sets necessary to advance the university, the community, and the country forward. With such a vision in mind, the alumni of the university need to critically engage with the university to prepare it for its journey ahead and secure its reputation.
The experiences of second fifty years from 1971 to till today have failed to achieve quality, resource and academic standard. It is far from the world ranking. On the occasion of its 100 birth celebration, the prime minister in her speech urged the authorities to mark and highlight its image and called for a congenial atmosphere of education. The prime minister also called the concerned authority to come forward with strategic mission. Only then the celebration will be marked having the all excellences in the performance level of Dhaka University.

(Dr. Forqan is former Deputy Director
General, Bangladesh Ansar & VDP).