Dhaka University is the result of a movement for regional identity. It was founded by the people of East Bengal. and reached its zenith in the war for Bangladeshi independence. In 2021, Bangladesh and the University of Dhaka will both be celebrating their 50th birthdays. This is to remember these important events. In this article, we will discuss DU’s 100-year short paragraph at a glance.
DU was started in 1921 with just three faculties, 12 departments, three dorms, 60 teachers, and 877 students living on 600 acres of land. It has since grown into a huge educational and political force.
As it prepares to mark its 100th anniversary on Thursday, DU has 13 faculties, 83 departments, 12 institutions, 20 residence halls, 3 hostels, and more than 56 research centers. According to the university’s website, there are now 37,018 students and 1,992 faculty members.
Dhaka University (DU) 100 years short paragraph
An early distinguishing factor for Dhaka University was the university’s non-affiliated and residential nature, akin to Oxford University. Dhaka University is known as the “Oxford of the East” because of its top-notch living and learning facilities.
Affiliation mandates have replaced the university’s sole residency requirement since 1947.
During his speech at the first convocation on February 22, 1923, Lord Lytton, who was then governor of Bengal and chancellor of then-Dacca’s University, said that “… this university is Dacca’s greatest possession, and will do more than anything else to increase and spread the fame of Dacca.”
DU, which was founded for political reasons, played an important role in every major political event in the history of the region. Even before East Bengal became East Pakistan and Bangladesh became independent, DU played an important role in every major political event.
Since the British left in 1947, Dhaka University has served as a focal point for a number of political movements, such as the fight for independence, the language movement, and the main historical events that led up to the liberation war in 1971.
When Bangladesh gained its independence on March 2, 1971, DU students raised their flag and presented it to the country’s political authorities.
Many historians believe that the founding of Bangladesh was made possible in large part due to the work of Dhaka University.
By killing a lot of university professors and students, the Pakistani army was able to weaken the country’s political will.
In spite of this, the institution kept moving forward, and so many of the country’s initiatives were spearheaded by students and faculty from DU. Protests against a return to authoritarian rule in 1991 and 2008 were among these movements.
This year, the 56-percent quota for government jobs was abolished. This was another victory for the quota reform campaign, which had been picking up steam in universities across the country.
Many of Dhaka University’s political groups have a rich history of standing up to oppression. These instances include the university’s participation in 1952, 1969, 1971, and 1990. Dhaka University never strayed from its adherence to academic norms throughout this period, and students were only promoted based on merit. However, the majority of its student bodies now follow the lead of the ruling party.
We must realize that a university is a place where academic achievement is sought after. It is a place where fresh information is created, stored, and then disseminated. A student at one of the country’s most prestigious universities can’t escape the national agenda or politics, but over-politicization has undoubtedly stifled potential.
Most university students these days are enamored with working in the government. As a result, they now begin preparing for the BCS and other competitive tests throughout their college years. This is because the benefits of working for the government have multiplied over the previous few decades.
Students used to strive for academic achievement and to be the best they could be in all of their classes in years past. The number of academic fields has grown, but the question is still whether their curricula have changed.
The truth is that students at DU aren’t getting the most up-to-date information. Employers in the highly competitive private sector complain that they are unable to find DU graduates who have the necessary skills to compete in the labor market after graduation. People from Bangladesh’s neighboring countries are now taking advantage of good jobs in Bangladesh’s private sector.
According to different world university rankings such as QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), THE (Times Higher Education), and CWUR, Dhaka University has clearly suffered as a result (Centre for World University Ranking). Gresham’s Law is a concept in economics.
Bad money, according to the saying, “drives out good money.” In the same way, if a system allows anything evil to thrive, it will eventually expel the good from the system. Like so, the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, is afflicted. In spite of this, the institution still produces some very good students, even though the university itself may no longer play a big role in this.
It’s hard to believe that one hundred years after it was founded, Dhaka University is only a shell of what it once was. If we trace the history of Dhaka University, we’ll see that it consistently generates a small number of internationally recognized professors.
Today, DU continues to produce excellent academics who publish in prestigious journals and academic presses and are active participants in cutting-edge research projects in their fields of expertise.
There’s no denying that instructors could do better in terms of getting their work out there. An investigation into why DU’s better-qualified instructors are underperforming should be launched promptly.
There is no doubt that many Dhaka University students are in great demand. Both in the United States and overseas, IBA graduates do remarkably well. Many students in the fields of English, Economics, Sociology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, and Genetic Engineering are also performing well.
Biosciences applied sciences, and pharmaceutical students are also working both domestically and internationally. As far as finding a job is concerned, there have been a number of successes.
Students who cannot afford to pay even a fraction of the fees paid by private institutions have been accepted by Dhaka University for the last 50 years or so. Public institutions in Bangladesh, such as Dhaka University, are a godsend to those who may not otherwise be able to attend college. A large number of these students go on to have successful professions and high-level jobs.
Dhaka University’s critics frequently overlook this fact. It is possible, however, that tuition rates should be raised gradually and modestly in the long run. It has been our experience in the past that administrators who try to raise tuition prices quickly get a backlash from students, which forces them to change their minds.
Dhaka University has earned a reputation for excellence, and it’s deserved. It has always worked hard to deliver top-notch service to the country. It has always been that way. Key moments in the country’s history have also benefited from its presence. However, this must be maintained at all costs, with no reduction in the level of quality. When it comes down to it, a focus on quantity rather than quality is a recipe for failure.
However, we cannot just linger on the past, as it is not possible. Since its founding in 1917, the University of Delaware has made great strides toward becoming “the Oxford of the East.” To stay at the top of its game and improve even more in the future, the university needs to keep an eye on its own performance and make changes as needed.
When it comes to cutting-edge technologies and subjects, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is right on the verge, and DU should once again play a key role in leading the country. DU must play a big role in this department if we want to achieve Vision 2041, and we have no choice but to use the most up-to-date technology to do so.
According to prominent educators and alumnae, DU’s academic performance has declined since Bangladesh’s rise to prominence. This is especially true in the 21st century.
Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, a well-known educationist and Ahmed Sharif Chair Professor of Bangla at DU, said that in July 1921, DU opened the door to higher education in this part of former British India.
According to the eminent professor, academic brilliance was significantly greater during the British colonial days and Pakistan’s period of repression than it had been in the country’s post-independence period. “It’s as though this university has lost its identity.”
Conclusion
In the article above, we discussed details about Dhaka University’s foundation and its current condition. We also discussed DU’s 100-year short paragraph.
The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Ranking 2022 shows that Dhaka University (DU) has maintained its place in the 801-1000 area in global university rankings, as it has in prior years
Most of the university’s funding is now devoted to paying its staff members’ salaries. 1.32 percent of the 2021-22 fiscal year budget is set aside for research, which amounts to Tk 11 crore.