University of Dhaka
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Coordinates: 23°44.10′N 90°23.45′E / 23.735°N 90.39083°E
| University of Dhaka | |
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| Motto: | "সত্যের জয় সুনিশ্চিত ("Truth Shall Prevail") |
| Established: | 1921 |
| Type: | Public, Coeducational |
| Chancellor: | Zillur Rahman, President of Bangladesh |
| Vice-Chancellor: | AAMS Arefin Siddique |
| Faculty: | 1,345 |
| Students: | 30,000 |
| Location: | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Campus: | Urban, 600 acres (2.43 km²) |
| Website: | www.univdhaka.edu |
The University of Dhaka (commonly referred to as Dhaka University or just DU) (Bengali: ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় Đhaka Bishshobiddalôe) is the oldest[1] and the largest university in Bangladesh with more than 32,000 students and 1,600 teachers. It is the only university in Bangladesh to have been listed in AsiaWeek's listing of best Asian (and Australian) Universities in 2000 (64th in the overall category as a multi-disciplinary university) and 1999 (37th) rankings[2]. The university has made into the list of "Top World Universities" with the positions[3] 528 (2008), within top 500 (2007) and 365 (2006) in the ranking carried out by Times Higher Education and Quacquarelli Symonds (THE–QS), UK. This is the only Bangladeshi university listed in the THE-QS's top universities list.
[edit] Prologue
Initially, the university under the British administration worked hard to build up an outstanding record of academic achievement, earning for itself the reputation for 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.[citation needed] The university demonstrated an inherent strength in its activities during its eventful and often critical existence of over 80 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.[citation needed]
[edit] Foundation & early days
The University of Dhaka was established in 1921 under the Dacca University Act 1920 of the Indian Legislative Council, it is modelled after British universities. Academic activities started on July 1, 1921 with 3 faculties, 12 teaching departments, 60 teachers, 847 students and 3 residential halls.
It is believed that a combination of political, social and economic compulsions persuaded the government of India to establish a University at Dhaka 'as a splendid imperial compensation' to Muslims for the annulment of the partition of Bengal. The first vice-chancellor of the university, Dr., later Sir, Philip Joseph Hartog, a former academic registrar of the University of London for 17 years and a member of the University of Calcutta Commission, described this phenomenon as the 'political origin' of the institution.[citation needed]
The Partition of Bengal in 1905 provided the Muslim majority community of East Bengal and Assam with a sphere of influence of their own and raised new hopes for the development of the region and advancement of its people. But its annulment, barely six years later due to stiff opposition from the powerful Hindu leadership, was viewed by Muslims as 'a grievous wrong'.
[edit] Academic divisions:Faculties & Institutions
Today, there are 10 faculties, 52 departments, 9 institutes, 34 research centres, 1,545 teachers, about 30,000 students, 18 residential halls and 2 hostels.[4] [2] Two-thirds of the present faculty possesses degrees from universities in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. Many of them achieved international reputation for their scholarly works. Many also have the experience of teaching in well-known institutions of higher learning abroad.
[edit] Research Activities
The University of Dhaka is dedicated to the advancement of learning and is committed to promoting research in all fields of knowledge. New research projects are undertaken every year. Six half-yearly English journals and one ten-monthly Bengali journal are published by six faculties regularly. Ten more research journals are published by individual departments. [5]
The University of Dhaka entered into more than 90 International Collaboration Programmes with renowned University and Institutes of different countries of the world. [6]
Publication of Journals
- Journal of Statistical Research (JSR) is being published since 1970. The Journal is published twice a year, one in June and the other in December. The areas of interest of this journal covers Mathematical Statistics, Quality control in Industries, Biostatistics, Sampling Techniques and Computer intensive statistics with graphics.
- Journal of Finance and Banking is the half-yearly refereed journal published by the department of Finance. The journal has an editorial board comprising of professors of the Department and some outstanding external experts. It contains research-based articles on finance and related fields. Authors are generally those of good standing in the academic institutions, industries and government organizations. [7]
[edit] Bureaus and Research Centers
- Bureau of Economic Research
- Bureau of Business Research
- Bose Centre for Advanced Study and Research in
- Natural Sciences
- Centre for Advanced Studies and Research in
- Biological Sciences
- Dev Centre for Philosophical Studies
- Renewable Energy Research Centre
- Centre for Advanced Research in Humanities
- Centre for Advanced Research in Social Sciences
- Semiconductor Technology Research Centre
- Biotechnology Research Centre
- DU Cyber Centre
- Nazrul Research Centre
- Nazmul Karim Study Centre
- Disaster Research Training and Management Centre
- Dr. Sirajul Haque Islamic Research Centre
- Centre for Biomedical Research
- Bangladesh-Australia Centre for Environmental Research
- Delta Research Centre
- Centre for Advanced Research in Physical, Chemical,
- Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences - The Centre of Excellence
- Centre for Advanced Research in Arts and Social
- Sciences - The Centre of Excellence
- Centre for Corporate Governance and Finance Studies
- Center for Microfinance and Development
- Japan Study Centre
- History Research Centre
- Centre for Development and Policy Research
- University and Industry Alliance
- Professor Dilip Kumar Bhattacharya Research Centre
- Organic Pollutants Research Centre
- Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unit
- Center for Administrative Research and Innovation-CARI
- Dhaka University Earthquake Observatory
- Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue
- Dhaka University Arboriculture Section
[edit] Facilities
Trusts, Foundations and Scholarship Programmes
The University contains about 220 Trusts and Foundations offering scholarships and medals to meritorious students of the University. Besides, a large number of scholarships are also offered by the University, Dhaka University Alumni Association and the Government.
Halls of Residence
A dormitory is called a Hall in the university. Students admitted to the Departments and Institutes of the University have either to reside in or be attached to a hall of residence. The University has thirteen halls of residence and two hostels for male students; and four halls of residence and one hostel for female students. The administration of a hall is headed by a Provost who is assisted by a number of House Tutors and Assistant House Tutors while the administration of a hostel is controlled by a Warden assisted by Assistant Warden(s).
Currently, the construction of a Twin Hall (500+500 capacity) for female students is in progress.
Library
The University Library, housed in three separate buildings, is the biggest in Bangladesh. The Library holds a collection of more than 617,000 volumes, including bound volumes of periodicals. In addition, it has a collection of over 30,000 manuscripts on various languages and a large number of microfilms, microfiche and CDs. It subscribes to over 300 current foreign journals.
University of Dhaka Library provides a wide range of scholarly electronic resources but, for licensing reasons, most of them have to be restricted to members of the University of Dhaka. A number of international electronic journals /research databases are made available via the PERI programme of INASP. Most of the resources can be accessed within the university network without any password where some of the resources require user ID and password. [8]
Health Services: The University of Dhaka Medical Centre
The Medical Centre of the University of Dhaka, located near the Science Annex Building, offers free medical service and free pathological examinations to students, teachers and staffs of the University and also family members of the teachers and staffs. The Centre provides service round the clock, seven days a week, with 30 doctors working in different shifts. The Centre also has dental unit, eye unit, x-ray department and two ambulances. The Centre has in its premises arrangement for 30 bed accommodation so that students suffering from such contagious diseases as chicken pox, mumps, etc. may be taken care of in isolation.
Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired Students
A Resource Center for the Visually Impaired Students has been established in the Dhaka University Central Library under the joint collaboration of the University of Dhaka and an international organization, called Sight-savers. The Centre contains modern library facilities for the visually impaired students of the University.
Student Counseling and Guidance
The students Counselling and Guidance Service is an integral part of the academic programmes of students of the teaching Departments and Institutes of the University. It aims at helping students to adjust to campus life, effectively pursue curricular as well as co-curricular activities, develop their abilities for making wise choices and plans, and solve individual problems through counseling.
Sports and Extracurricular Activities
The University of Dhaka organizes sports and other extracurricular and recreational activities.
The Office of the Director of Physical Education provides three types of programmes:
- Compulsory Physical Education,
- Certificate Course in coaching major games and sports, and
- Intramural and Extramural programmes.
The University of Dhaka Ground is the official stadium of the University of Dhaka. It hosts many inter-collegiate sports tournaments at inter-city, provincial and national levels.
Intramural and Extramural Programme (Games and Sports)
The Directorate also organizes and conducts interdepartment and inter-hall tournaments, individual hall athletics, Dhaka University athletics, and Inter- University games and sports. University students participate in national championships in different games and sports for which prior training and coaching are offered.
Cafeteria
There are some cafeteria in the area of University of Dhaka. Some of them are historically important.The Madhur Canteen is not only a cafeteria, but also a place of historical interest of Bangladesh.
Transport
University of Dhaka has transport services for students. Though the number of the bus is not sufficient enough for the vast student community it is a great dervice to students. The bus schedule for different part of the city can be found in the bus depot. The service is always on run even on university holidays, to help those students who come to university for library or teacher's coucil. [9]
[edit] Ranking
Despite being continuously affected by turbulent political environment of the region and severely insufficient funding for researches and academic activities the university managed to make position not only in the Asian level, but also in the global level.
International ranking
In 2008, the University of Dhaka has made into the list of "Top World Universities" in the ranking carried out by apparently world’s most prominent ranking agency Times Higher Education and Quacquarelli Symonds (THE–QS), UK . Out of over 30,000 universities around the world, DU was placed as 528. In Engineering & IT the university positioned 300th where in Life Sciences & Biomedicine the university ranked 284th. However, the university ranked better in 2007 (within top 500) and 2006 (365th). The subject area wise ranking in 2007 was: 336th in Arts & Humanities, 256th in Natural Sciences, 256th in Engineering & IT, 297th in Social Sciences and 251st in Life Sciences & Biomedicine. University of Dhaka is the only university from Bangladesh made position in the world's top universities list. [10]
Asian level ranking
In the best Asian (and Australian) universities ranking, AsiaWeek ranked the University of Dhaka 37th in 1999 and 64th (overall and multi-disciplinary category) in 2000 [11]. This is the only university in Bangladesh made position within the Asia's best universities. In 2000, the university got a comparatively higher rank in student selectivity (23rd) where got lower ranking in academic reputation (74th), faculty resources (59th), research (65th) and financial resources (74) categories [12].
Ranking based on the web
The university's website based ranking is below standard. Although the university positioned 2nd within Bangladesh [13] and 45th within South Asia, it barely made position in top 5000 (4922nd) in the January 2009 ranking by Webometrics in their World Universities Ranking [14] based on web visibility of electronic publication, scientific results and international activities.[15]. Apparently the poor internet infrastructure in Bangladesh can be the key reason of the large difference between the rank of the university in "university ranking" and "web performance based university ranking".
In 2009, 4 International Colleges & Universities [16] ranked the university as the most popular university in Bangladesh in their 'Colleges and Universities By 2009 Web Popularity Ranking' list.[17]
[edit] Admission Procedure
Admissionin Degree Honours Courses
Students who have passed the SSC and the HSC Examinations (after 12 years of schooling) or examinations equivalent to HSC of Bangladesh Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education with required GPA are considered eligible for admission to the Degree Honours Courses.
Admission is highly competitive and every year the University Admission Committee fixes a standard of academic attainment at the SSC and HSC levels. Selection of students for admission is made through admission tests. All candidates have to take a written test and must score the pass marks to qualify in the admission test. Students who passed at least five subjects in the GCE "0" level and two subjects in the "A" level examinations are also eligible to apply for admission. They are required to obtain at least B Grade in three subjects and C Grade in other four subjects among the seven subjects of "0" Level and "A" Level.
Admission in Masters Courses
Students who pass the Honours Examinations of this University are admitted in the Masters programme. International students are also allowed to get admission in the Master’s degree programmes if their academic records are found acceptable by the equivalence committee of the university.
Admission of International Students
International Students must apply well in advance through their respective embassy in Bangladesh to the Ministry of Education, Government of Bangladesh, enclosing evidence of examinations passed and transcripts of academic records.
[edit] Historical Events
From its inception, the University of Dhaka has been a place for many great scholars and scientists. From 1926 - 1945 the renowned physicist Satyendra Nath Bose served as a professor. It was during this period that he published his famous papers in collaboration with Albert Einstein, most notably defining Bose-Einstein condensate.
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The university was witness to another 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.
[edit] East Pakistan era
The Partition of Bengal in 1947 considerably altered the character of Dhaka University. The East Bengal Educational Ordinance of 1947 added an affiliating character to its residential-cum-teaching model by calling upon it to assume the responsibilities of affiliation and supervision of 55 colleges, which were previously under the University of Calcutta. The university was relieved of this responsibility in 1992 when the National University was created to take over this task.
During World War II the government of India requisitioned some buildings of the university for military use. After Partition, the new government of East Pakistan requisitioned many more of them for offices and residences of government employees. This created an acute problem of accommodation to add to the problem of finance. The Pakistan government was indifferent to the university's needs and planned to move the university away from the city to keep its students out of politics. When General Ayub Khan seized power in October 1958, teachers and students of the university were already in the forefront of protests against the government's attempts to suppress the demands of the East Pakistanis for autonomy and the rightful place for Bengali as a state language of the country. In 1952, during the Bengali Language Movement effort, police killed some students agitating for a place of honour for their mother tongue. The government responded by replacing the Dacca University Act 1920 by an ordinance in 1961, totally depriving the university of its autonomy and democratic traditions. Termed a 'black law', the ordinance created a suffocating atmosphere in the university. The atmosphere of terror and oppression created in the whole country by successive military regimes led to mass upsurge, and ultimately, to the War of Liberation waged by Bengalis in 1971.
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[edit] War of Liberation
The War of Liberation severely crippled Dhaka University's academics when a large number of its distinguished teachers and a considerable number of its students and employees were killed. The emergence of several new universities later did little to ease this burden.
The teachers, who were killed, include Dr. GC Dev, Dr. ANM Muniruzzaman, Santosh C Bhattacharya, Dr. Jyotirmoy Guha Thakurta, AN Munir Chowdhury, Mofazzal Haider Chowdhury, Dr. Abul Khair, Dr. Serajul Hoque Khan, Rashidul Hasan, Anwar Pasha, Dr. Fazlur Rahman, Giasuddin Ahmed, Dr. Faizul Mohi, Abdul Muktadir, Sarafat Ali, Sadat Ali, AR Khan Khadim, and Anudippayan Bhattachariya. The university's chief medical officer, Dr. Mohammad Mortuza, and a teacher of the University Laboratory School, Mohammad Sadeq were also killed.
[edit] Current state of affairs
Unfortunately, since the creation of Bangladesh like all other public universities of the country University of Dhaka has increasingly become politicised. The university's academic programmes have continuously suffered from session jams with the completion of a 4 year bachelor degree taking up to 6 years. Like other public universities classes and academic activities are often disrupted due to violence among various political wings of the students. As a result the university experienced many unscheduled indefinite closures at various times since the independence of Bangladesh. There have been incessant complaints from general students and their parents against massive politicisation of some teachers and residential students who have also directly become involved in violence.
Research activities of the academics have also deteriorated significantly except for a small percentage of dedicated academics. This can easily be verified by checking the number of research articles published by the university academics to have been cited in various international peer reviewed journals. The university's annual reports demonstrate that every year a department of this university on the average produces only 5-6 research articles with most of them being in local journals which are not peer reviewed by international experts in the field. The university currently reflects the poor socioeconomic condition of the country. There is an acute shortage of research funding and until very recently the university did not have access to most international journals and periodicals. Although the university has a proud history today it has lost most of its glory.
[edit] Dhaka University Alumni Association
University of Dhaka, the oldest post-graduate institution of the country, has in the meantime, conferred certificates upon more than 1.6 million graduates. However, Dhaka University Alumni Association (DUAA) was established on 24 September 1949 with late Justice M. Ibrahim as its President. One cannot imagine Bangladesh without the Alumni of the University of Dhaka.
Since its establishment DUAA is committed towards development of the University of Dhaka and welfare of its students through providing scholarships, stipends and funding in the academic pursuits of the students. Besides, it undertakes various projects to preserve the traditions of the University, adding to the academic excellence of the University of Dhaka in general in co-operation with the University authorities.
Having financial assistance from Eastern Bank Ltd. DUAA has introduced 224 scholarships along with carrier building counseling to meritorious students of all the 57 departments of Dhaka University. Furthermore, forty four meritorious students of all the 9 institutes under the University of Dhaka are also provided with similar scholarships and job training by Mutual Trust Bank Ltd and DUAA jointly.
About 20,000 SFT space has been allotted by the University to Dhaka University Alumni Association at the ground floor of the newly constructed "Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban" for the construction of its office rooms and other facilities. With the passage of time and in cooperation with University of Dhaka, DUAA is now considered as a vibrant organization having nearly 3500 life members in its roll which are increasing every day. Duly registered by the government, DUAA is run by its own constitution and manned by a 33 member Executive Committee whose every account is properly audited and kept in its website "alumni.univdhaka. edu".
The Nobel Laureate, Dr. Muhammed Yunus, an alumnus of the University, is a member of the Dhaka University Alumni Association.
[edit] Notable Alumni and Faculty Members
- Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Father of the Nation
- Tajuddin Ahmed, First Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- Syed Nazrul Islam, During the Bangladesh Liberation War, he served as the acting President of Bangladesh in the absence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
- Zillur Rahman, President of Bangladesh
- Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, former foreign minister of Bangladesh and former Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations.
- Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- Muhammad Yunus, 2006 winner of Nobel Peace Prize, founder of Grameen Bank.
- Moudud Ahmed, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, former law minister of Bangladesh
- Fakhruddin Ahmed, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh
- Habibur Rahman, former Chief Adviser to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh and former Chief Justice of Bangladesh.
- Shahabuddin Ahmed, former President of Bangladesh, former Chief Adviser to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh, former Chief Justice of Bangladesh
- Saifur Rahman, former finance minister of Bangladesh
- Jamiruddin Sircar, former Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad, former Acting President of Bangladesh
- Abul Fateh, Bangladesh's first Foreign Secretary.
- Abdul Kadir, Poet, awarded Ekushey Padak (1976) and Independence Day Award (1983).
- Mainul Hosein, former law minister of Bangladesh
- Mahfuz Anam, Editor of The Daily Star
- Abul Hussam, inventor of the SONO filter for Arsenic removal.
- Abdus Suttar Khan, distinguished aerospace researcher.
- Mir Masoom Ali, George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Statistics, Ball State University, Indiana, USA
- Akhtaruzzaman Elias, critics place him in the pantheon of great Bengali novelists.
- Alamgir Kabir, three of his feature films are featured in the "Top 10 Bangladeshi Films" list by British Film Institute.
- Asaduzzaman Noor, leading TV actor and Member of Parliament
- Buddhadeb Basu, a major Bengali writer of the mid-twentieth century, belonging to the Kollol age.
- Debabrata Basu, Basu’s theorem on the independence of a complete sufficient statistic and an ancillary statistic was given in a 1955 paper.
- Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder of BRAC, 1980 Ramon Magsaysay awardee for Community Leadership.
- Syed Manzur Elahi, Chairman of Apex Group
- Fazlur Rahman Khan, regarded as the "Einstein of structural engineering" and considered "the greatest structural engineer of the second half of the 20th century"[citation needed] for his constructions of the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center, and for his designs of structural systems that remain fundamental to all high-rise skyscrapers.
- Ghulam Azam, former Amir of Jamaat e Islami,Bangladesh.
- Humayun Ahmed, famous contemporary Bengali fiction writer and playwright.
- Altaf Husain, leading Newspaper Editor of South Asia, founder of Dawn Newspaper
- Jahanara Imam, widely remembered for her efforts to bring those accused of committing war crimes in the Bangladesh Liberation War to trial. She was popularly known as "Shaheed Janani"(Mother of Martyrs).
- Kariamanickam Srinivasa Krishnan, FRS, co-discoverer of Raman Effect in physics.
- Leela Roy, was a radical leftist Indian politician and reformer, and a close associate of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
- Mohammad Ataul Karim, Vice President for Research, Old Dominion University, Virginia, USA.
- Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, popular sci-fi writer.
- R.C. Majumdar, (1888-1980), historian and Vice-Chancellor of Dacca University.
- Satyendra Nath Bose, FRS, he is best known for his work on quantum statistics in the early 1920s, providing the foundation for Bose-Einstein statistics and the theory of the Bose-Einstein condensate.
- Abdur Rakib Khandakar, Former Inspector General of Bangladesh Police, Ekushey Padak recipient
- Shamsur Rahman, regarded as the one of the most prominent Bengali poets in the latter half of the 20th century and the unofficial poet laureate of Bangladesh.
- Tahrunessa Abdullah, 1978 Ramon Magsaysay awardee for Community Leadership.
- Tirukkannapuram Vijayaraghavan, mathematician, co-discoverer of Pisot-Vijayaraghavan number.
[edit] References
- ^ Brief history of Dhaka University
- ^ Best Asian Universities 2000
- ^ QS Top Universities
- ^ University of Dhaka -Academic Calendar July 2006-June 2007
- ^ QS Top Universities
- ^ University of Dhaka Prospectus 2008
- ^ Department of Finance, University of Dhaka
- ^ University of Dhaka E-resource Service
- ^ Transport facilities at University of Dhaka
- ^ QS Top Universities
- ^ Best Asian Universities 2000
- ^ University of Dhaka in the "Best Asian Universities 2000"
- ^ [1]
- ^ Regional and Global Ranking of South Asia region
- ^ Webometrics, a new tool for Scientometrics
- ^ 4icu.org
- ^ Top Colleges and Universities in Bangladesh - by web popularity ranking
- ^ Glassie, Henry and Mahmud, Feroz.2008.Living Traditions. Cultural Survey of Bangladesh Series-II. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Dhaka. p.578
[edit] See also
History of University of Dhaka
[edit] External links
Definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Learning resources from Wikiversity- Official website
- University of Dhaka Prospectus 2008
- Dhaka University Film Society
- Dhaka University Alumni Networking Site
- Bangladesh Association of Young Researchers
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