President, PM Hope DU Students to Work for Building ‘Sonar Bangladesh’

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the Dhaka University students to play an important role from their respective positions to build a poverty-and hunger-free ‘Sonar Bangladesh’ with their knowledge, merit, wisdom and innovativeness.  

They made the call in separate messages on the occasion of the centenary celebration of Dhaka University (DU) which will begin tomorrow.

In his message, President Abdul Hamid said the centenary of Dhaka University is a milestone in the history of the Bangalee nation, particularly for higher education.

He greeted teachers, students, guardians and all members of DU on the occasion of its centenary.

The President welcomed the initiative of publishing a special commemorative collection titled “Satoborsher Aloy Dhaka Bishwabidalay”.

DU began its journey in 1921 with the aim of spreading the light of knowledge in the sub-continent, he said.

The President said DU has been playing an historic role in expansion of higher education, quality research, expansion of knowledge and science, practicing of free thinking, creating skilled human resources and building a modern and progressive society.

From this premises of free thinking, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made the people dream for freedom, he mentioned.

Abdul Hamid said Dhaka University had played a pioneering role in all democratic movements, including the historic Language Movement and the great Liberation War.

He said many teachers, students, employees and intellectuals of the university embraced martyrdom in the great Liberation War.

“I pay deep respect to the memories of those,” he said.

He hoped DU would play an important role to take the country and the nation to its cherished goal by attaining success in all branches of knowledge and science.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, extended greetings and congratulations to teachers, students, guardians, officers-employees and all concerned on the occasion of the DU centenary.

Till today since the inception, she said, the university has been enriching the country in knowledge and science by accumulating intellect and humanity with unique skills.

When Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was a young student of the university’s Law Department, he was the first to realize the truth that the state system, which was created in this region through the partition of British India in 1947, was not a safe for Bangla-speaking people and had played an active role in building the movement with the demand for making Bangla as one of the state languages, she said.

With the course of time, the premier said, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman became Bangabandhu, Father of the Nation, super hero of the history of Bangalee and the Greatest Bangalee of All Time.

She said the Dhaka University’s unparallel role in creating a nation-state named Bangladesh side by side with its active role in intensive participation in knowledge and science relating to history and heritage and the country’s socio-economic development will be remembered forever.

The university’s students, teachers and employees led from the front continuously for fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the masses of the country as well as in 1952 Language Movement, 1966 movement for autonomy on the basis of six-point announced by Father of the Nation and the great struggle for independence in 1971 at his call and all democratic movements and in flourishing of non-communal cultural entity, she mentioned.  

Just after the independence, the Father of the Nation had formed the National Education Commission in 1972 with a view to building a well-educated nation, she said.

She said University Grants Commission (UGC) was formed at his farsighted directive with the declaration of University Ordinance in 1973 and its prime message was to create environment for exercising free thinking and freedom of thinking in the university. 

Sheikh Hasina said whenever Bangladesh Awami League formed government, imbued with the philosophy of Bangabandhu, they created congenial atmosphere for education and research at all educational institutions including Dhaka University by making those free from terrorism and outsiders.

“As a former student of this university, I feel proud. Many members of Bangabandhu family including Sheikh Kamal and Sultana Kamal were alumni of Dhaka University. That is why I have deep relations with this university,” she said.

The prime minister said the Awami League government is working relentlessly for attaining sustainable development for Bangladesh by ensuring scopes for all o get quality education.

The President and the Prime Minister wished success of all programme taken on the occasion of DU centenary.