Dhaka University: A Century of Shaping Bangladesh's History and Future
Introduction
The University of Dhaka (DU), also known as Dhaka University, stands as the oldest university in modern Bangladesh. Established in 1921, during the British Raj, it has played a pivotal role in the region's socio-political and cultural evolution. From its inception as a center of higher learning to its involvement in the movements that shaped Bangladesh's national identity, Dhaka University's history is inextricably linked with the history of Bangladesh itself.
Historical Context and Establishment
The establishment of Dhaka University is deeply rooted in the political landscape of early 20th-century Bengal. Following the 1905 partition of Bengal, which created the province of East Bengal and Assam with Dhaka as its capital, the annulment of the partition in 1911 caused significant discontent among the Muslim population of East Bengal. To address these concerns, the British government decided to establish a university in Dhaka as a form of compensation.
The proposal faced initial hurdles due to World War I, but political considerations ultimately drove the decision forward. In 1913, public opinion was sought to finalize the university scheme. The Dacca University Act of 1920, passed by the Indian Legislative Council, officially established the university, modeled after British institutions. Lord Ronaldshay, the Governor of Bengal, served as its first chancellor.
The University of Dhaka is the 2nd university that was established in undivided Bengal. The first one is the University of Calcutta which was established in 1857. It took more than six decades to establish another institution of higher learning in the then Bengal. The opening of the new university opened the door for higher learning for the people of this region, who were otherwise lagging behind compared to the people of other parts of the then greater Bengal.
Early Years and Growth
The university commenced its academic activities on July 1, 1921, with the aim of providing higher education to the people of the region. The new university grew with time. More academic departments were opened and the number of students also increased considerably. The university quickly became a prominent center for intellectual and cultural development, attracting students and faculty from diverse backgrounds.
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The Impact of Partition and the Language Movement
In 1947, the Indian subcontinent was divided on the basis of the two-nation theory, leading to the creation of Pakistan and India. Partition gave a big jolt to the University of Dhaka as many of its faculty members and students who were Hindus, left the university as they immigrated to India. However, the university was able to overcome the crisis caused by the partition and started functioning under the newly created government.
With the creation of Pakistan, East Bengal became a province, and Dhaka University played a crucial role in the political developments concerning the people of East Bengal. A key issue was language. When Mohammad Ali Jinnah insisted that Urdu be the language of the state, the students protested. Dhaka University made the Bengali come alive in 1952. That protest left Pakistan's founder stunned. The university became the center of the movement that would lead to the creation of the country born out of the ashes of East Pakistan in 1971.
For two successive days on 5 and 6 December 1947, teachers and students of the university demonstrated on campus and the streets of Dhaka against the government decision and in favour of Bengali. In response to this ruling DU students mobilised on 26 February, 1948 to form an “All Party Language Committee of Action.” On March 11, 1950 the Dhaka University Language Action Committee was formed. A direct outcome of the language movement was that the government that had been held responsible for bruising the Bengali consciousness was voted out of power in East Pakistan in 1954.
Role in the Liberation War
The University of Dhaka played an instrumental role in Bangladesh's struggle for independence. Dhaka University was the main place where the movement started, with students joining and protesting against the Pakistan Government. What happened on 26 March was nothing less than a calculated bid to blast DU to smithereens, murder student leaders and selected faculty members, and drive out all students from the campus for playing leading roles in the movement against the Pakistani state. The Pakistani Army was nothing short of murderous in attempting to neutralize dissent. Inevitably, DU bore the brunt of their initial fury. The Shaheed Minar was razed to the ground and Bangla Academy was subject to artillery fire. Madhu’s canteen - the favorite haunt of student politicians throughout the sixties - was attacked and Madhu - the benign owner of the cafeteria - was murdered. The huge bot tree (banyan) which provided shade under which student leaders delivered speeches and from which they had given the declaration of independence on one of the turbulent March days - was blasted out of existence.
In the nine-month liberation war that followed the Pakistani army crackdown on DU and the rest of Bangladesh, the university once again became a microcosm of the country in that almost all of its entire faculty and students fled it. Academic activities came to a standstill and it became a campus bereft of students who had deserted it along with most of their teachers since they were unwilling to kowtow to the Pakistani design to create a quiescent institution run by quislings and were not inclined to impart or acquire education in line with proto-Islamist and/or totalitarian concepts of nationalism. Many students died in the course of the next nine months fighting for liberation or suspected of doing so. When independence finally came to Bangladesh on December 16, it was fitting that the Pakistani Army would surrender in the open space adjacent to the university known as Ramna Park.
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Post-Liberation Era
In the liberated country, the university has also been intimately involved with every political and social movement that occurred for the establishment of democracy that was, time and again, flawed or suspended by the military regimes that usurped state power by deposing elected governments through unconstitutional means. In the socio-cultural arenas, the University of Dhaka has also played a decisive role in shaping the cultural norms, values and psyche of the people of the country.
The Dacca University Order, 1973 (President's Order No. 11 of 1973), reconstituted and reorganised the University of Dhaka to improve its teaching, research, and administration following the 1971 War of Independence. Throughout this order, the word Dhaka was substituted for the word Dacca by section 2 of the University Laws (Amendment) Act, 1987 (Act No.
Academic Freedom and Institutional Autonomy
In its centenary, the important task Dhaka University faces is identifying its most significant achievement in the last hundred years.In assessing the achievements of Dhaka University, one must consider whether Dhaka University has been able to ensure the essential condition for conducting intellectual exercise to produce new knowledge; that is to attain and practice academic freedom. There are two elements to the concept of academic freedom, freedom to teach and freedom to acquire knowledge. Additionally, there are two aspects of academic freedom-freedom of teachers and students and the institutional autonomy of the university as an institution. Without institutional autonomy, it is not possible to guarantee freedom for teachers and students. As a result, the question of institutional autonomy has always been at the centre of the discussion on academic freedom.
In the past 100 years, there have been three laws about Dhaka University-during the British period in 1920, during the Pakistan period in 1961 and in independent Bangladesh in 1973. In broad strokes, these laws represent the three phases of Dhaka University's history.
The 1920 law described the Governor General of India as the "Visitor" to the university. The law stipulated that the Governor of Bengal would be the Chancellor. Evident in these are the extent of the power and influence of the Vice-Chancellor. The executive council was responsible for recommending the Vice-Chancellor's name to the Chancellor, but the court had the power to determine the procedures of the council. As a result, the Chancellor, by extension the government, held incredible power over the institution. This system was by no means conducive to the institutional autonomy of the university.
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After the establishment of Pakistan in 1947, as Dhaka University was run under this act, the influence of the central and provincial governments continued. The situation took a turn for the worse in 1961-the Dhaka University Ordinance was issued by the military regime of Ayub Khan. It changed the administrative structure of the University and brought it under the direct control of the government.
More than a year after the country became independent, the Dhaka University Ordinance, 1973, was issued to change the administrative system of the university. The 1973 order not only established the Senate, but also provided for representation of people from different walks of life and professions in syndicates and academic councils. Considering the Chancellor's authority in appointing a Vice-Chancellor, it should be remembered that he is the Head of State, and the Constitution of Bangladesh stipulates that the Head of State will act on the advice of the Prime Minister. As such, the appointment of the VC has been left with political operatives. The 1973 ordinance provides for elections at all levels, including in posts where appointments based on academic achievements should have been considered. The post of Dean is a case in point.
Despite the promise of the Dhaka University Ordinance 1973 that the institution will enjoy autonomy, it has been moving away from that for quite some time. The 1973 ordinance restored the rights of the university teachers to participate in politics, but that provision has been used rampantly to create a partyarchy within the University.
Campus Life and Facilities
The University of Dhaka offers a wide range of facilities and resources to its students, faculty, and staff.
Library
The University Library, housed in three separate buildings, is the largest 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 in other languages and a large number of microfilms, microfiche, and CDs. The Dhaka University Library comprises three buildings: the administrative building, the main library building, and the science library building. Additionally, the Faculty of Business Studies has an e-library which is the largest of its kind in Asia. This advanced-level e-library is connected with 35 internationally renowned libraries and publication houses in the world.
Medical Center
The Medical Centre of the University of Dhaka, near the Science Annex Building, offers free medical services and free pathological examinations to students, teachers, staff, and their family members. The centre provides service round-the-clock, seven days a week, with 30 doctors working in shifts.
Cafeterias
There are cafeterias on campus, some of which hold historical and architectural interest. The Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) has its own cafeteria, while another cafeteria stands on the Dhaka University Snacks (DUS) Chattar.
Faculty of Business Studies
The Faculty of Business Studies (FBS) was established in 1970 as the Faculty of Commerce. It began its journey with two departments: the Department of Accounting and the Department of Management. Currently, there are nearly 153 teachers, 10 officers, 58 employees, and nearly 6,100 students under the faculty.
Dhaka Viswavidyalay Patrika
Dhaka Viswavidyalay Patrika is an open-access peer-reviewed academic research journal published since 1973 and funded by the University of Dhaka. The scholarly journal publishes research articles written in Bengali on literature, history, religion, philosophy, fine arts, music, business, law, science, social science, biology, economics, and politics.
Sports and Extracurricular Activities
The University of Dhaka organises sports and other extracurricular and recreational activities. The University of Dhaka Ground is the official stadium of the University of Dhaka. The Dhaka University Central Students' Union is the official students' union of the University of Dhaka. It exists to represent Dhaka University students in the university's decision-making, to act as the voice for students in the national higher education policy debate, and to provide direct services to the student body.
Centennial Celebrations and Future Directions
The year 2021 marked the centenary year of Dhaka University. Elaborate programs were drawn up to celebrate the centenary year, but it was marred by the onslaught of the killer Covid-19 virus. Celebrations could not be held in a full-fledged manner for the fear of widespread infection of the deadly virus. Now that the University of Dhaka has entered into its 2nd century, it needs to carry forward the mission for which it was established, lived and prospered, under difficult circumstances at different points of time. Here, it needs to be remembered that the time, situation and environment have changed since its establishment in 1921.
The university, its faculty members and the students must take up the challenges posed by the continuously changing emerging knowledge based world. Bangladesh has set a vision to become a rich nation by 2041. To realise that cherished dream, Dhaka University will have to play a great role as tomorrow’s world will be a knowledge-based one led by the 4th industrial revolution. To do justice to the perceived role, the university must chart its future path through a planned manner. Quality education and research are the other areas that the university should focus on now. These should be primary objectives in the new century.
The other recent development is the already emerged fourth industrial revolution. This new reality also calls for new knowledge and skills to survive in the competitive world. For this purpose, the University of Dhaka should also focus on and provide cutting-edge education to its students.
To push the pursuit of learning and knowledge generation further, the university should establish more networks with other educational and research organisations. With time, as mentioned earlier, the university has grown in size in terms of the faculties and student bodies. To cater to enrol more aspiring students and more disciplines to be opened up, the university needs to take proactive initiatives to establish new campuses around the city.
Universities are part of greater societies both influencing each other and making gains through interaction between them. The University of Dhaka has a rich tradition of such interactions. However, in the coming years, this needs to be more focused and intensified for the benefit, particularly, of the university. Now, Bangladesh is a fast growing economy. Like every other developed country, it also needs to enter into more collaboration with industries and business institutions. Universities can solve many technical as well as management problems of the business and industrial enterprises.
To overcome the problem of resource constraint, the University of Dhaka can create an endowment fund amounting to Taka 1,000 crore, dedicated specifically for the purpose of research and improvement of teaching and learning facilities.
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