Spotlight

Brief history of Dhaka University

Mahmud-Ur-Rashid

Dhaka University, being the first of its kind in what is now Bangladesh, has been the most influential institution of the country. Its marks and shadows extend to the pillars of the society, culture and politics of the region. In the 85 years of its history, the graduates of this fine needed institution have been the major driving force in the region's politics. But it took years to lay the bricks and stones for the foundation, a result of the tireless work of the many East Bengal leaders. However, its creation is an integral part of the British-Indian history that began around the mid-nineteenth century. The University of Dhaka commonly said “Dhaka University” is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The University of Dhaka was established in 1921 under Dacca University Act 1920 the Indian Legislative Council. On July 1, 1921 University of Dhaka started its' Academic activities with -

* Three faculties: Arts, Sciences, and Law,

* Twelve departments: Sanskrit and Bengali, English, Education, History, Arabic and Islamic Studies, Persian and Urdu, Philosophy, Economics and Politics, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Law.

* Sixty teachers

* Eight hundred and seventy seven students and

* Three residential halls for all the students of university who were either residents or attached .The name of the halls are: Dhaka Hall, Jagannath Hall, and Salimullah Muslim Hall. University of Dhaka is the largest public university in Bangladesh. It is the only university in Bangladesh to have been listed in Asia Week's listing of top 100 Universities in Asia (64th). Initially, the university worked hard to build up an outstanding record of academic achievement, earning for itself the reputation of being the 'Oxford of the East'. The university contributed to the emergence of a generation of leaders who distinguished themselves in different occupations in East Bengal. Until the Partition of Bengal in 1947, it maintained its unique character of being one of the few residential institutions of higher learning in Asia. In 1947, it assumed academic authority over all educational institutions above the secondary level falling within East Bengal. In the process, it became a teaching-cum-affiliating institution. This transformation, coupled with its unprecedented growth in the years that followed, put strains beyond reckoning on its human as well as material resources.

The university witnesses a historical event, as it was in the campus of Dhaka University that the original Flag of Bangladesh was unfurled for the first time, at a time of national crisis with the Bangladesh Liberation War looming closer. The University saw its share of the genocide initiated by Pakistani dictatorship in 1971, as many pupils and professors were killed in Operation Searchlight by the Pakistan Army. Numerous students took part in the liberation war. The university demonstrated an inherent strength in its activities during its eventful and often critical existence of over 85 years. Today, it provides about 70% of the trained human resources of Bangladesh engaged in education, science and technology, administration, diplomacy, mass communication, politics, trade and commerce, and industrial enterprises in all sectors. Students and teachers of this university have played a major role in shaping the history of Bangladesh.

(The writer is a DU student)