Status of Dhaka University

FE Team | Published: March 04, 2009 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Dhaka University is the highest seat of learning in Bangladesh. Once upon a time it was famous as The Oxford of the East. I have been hearing it from my birth but didn't know why it is called the Oxford of the East. I knew it after I got admitted here. In our first reception programme in TSC, former vice chancellor SMA Fayez said, Dhaka University (DU) was famous as the Oxford of the East because it was as good as England's Oxford University which is one of the best in the world. It is famous for its research and new knowledge creation. In addition, all students of Oxford had accommodation in its halls.

Dhaka University (DU), which was established in 1921, had really enriched research and ensured hall accommodation from 1921 to 1985. Then DU could then take its position among 500 of the top universities in the world. Now that is history. DU has lost its glorious days. When I tried to see its present position in the universities of the world on Internet, I was unhappy to find that it was not even among 5000 universities! I was frustrated to finally find DU's position to be at number 6712 among the universities of the world. Then I tried to find its position in our sub-continent. I saw among 100 universities, DU is numbered 64. We can easily guess now what the condition of DU is.

There is hardly any research in DU these days. It has failed to create new knowledge. Here, some students are busy with politics, some are just hanging out or trying to earn money. Their first target is 'pass'. Most of our teachers have no time for research and do not contribute anything to raise the nation's position.

Our halls are centres of politics instead of studies and the administration has no control at all. So my request to the new government and new VC is: Please save our university; recover its old name. Halls, should be in the control of the administration and only brilliant students should get seats there.

Mahfuzur Rahman Mank

IER, University of Dhaka

mahfuz_du@hotmail.com

01912-031968