Desk Report
Published: 30 Nov 2021, 11:42 pm
President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina || Photo: Collected
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.