About DU
Brief History
On the first day of July 1921 the University of Dhaka
opened its doors to students with Sir P.J. Hartog as the
first Vice-Chancellor of the University. The University was set
up in a picturesque part of the city known as Ramna on 600
acres of land.
The University started its activities with 3 Faculties,12
Departments, 60 teachers, 877 students and 3 dormitories
(Halls of Residence) for the students. At present the University
consists of 13 Faculties, 66 Departments, 8 Institutes, 17 dormitories,
3 hostels and more than 35 Research Centres. The
number of students and teachers has risen to about 33,112
and 1,805 respectively.
The main purpose of the University was to create new areas of knowledge and
disseminate this knowledge to the society through its students. Since its inception
the University has a distinct character of having distinguished scholars as
faculties who have enriched the global pool of knowledge by making notable
contributions in the fields of teaching and research.
The high standard of education and research for the University was set by its first Vice-Chancellor, Sir P.J. Hartog when in the 2nd Convocation address he said, "A man may be an excellent teacher of elementary subjects without the power to add to knowledge. But in advanced work I maintain that no one can really teach well unless he has the combination of imagination with critical power which leads to the original production (of knowledge), and for that if for no other reason, a university to be a true university must see that its teachers are men who are also capable of advancing knowledge."
At the beginning a distinctive feature of the University of Dhaka was its nonaffiliating,
residential character like that of the Oxford of England. However,
since 1947 the University was given an affiliating mandate in place of an exclusive
residential-cum-teaching character.
A new phase began in the history of the University with the emergence of the
People's Republic of Bangladesh in 1971. This has been a phase of development,
expansion and consolidation of earlier gains. The University has assumed
a central role in the academic pursuits of the region including this new nation.
The University of Dhaka has passed through tumultuous times at different periods
of our national history and played vital, at times pioneering, roles in all critical
junctures in the making of this great nation. The University played a central
role in the Language Movement of 1952 that ultimately culminated in the
recognition of Bangla as the State Language. Scores of students, teachers and
employees of the University of Dhaka laid down their lives for the independence
of the country. Just after the creation of Bangladesh, the government proclaimed
the University of Dhaka Order 1973 whereby democratic norms and
autonomy became integral features of the institution.
While serving as the highest echelon of academic excellence, the University also
functions as a central premise for free thought and democratic practices that
would lead the nation to its march towards progress. The University of Dhaka is
increasingly striving to combine the pursuit of knowledge and truth with
the values and needs of an evolving society. It is noteworthy that the
Governor of Bengal and the Chancellor of the University of Dacca, Loard
Lytton in his speech at the first Convocation of the University on 22
February, 1923 said “....this University is Dacca’s greatest possession, and
will do more than anything else to increase and spread the fame of Dacca
beyond the limits of Bengal or even of India itself”.
Presently the University enrolls more than 5,800 students, on merit basis,
in the first year Honours Program in different Departments of the
Faculties and the Institutes. Besides conducting teaching courses in the 4-
year Bachelor and 1-year Masters Programmes, the University also trains
up a large number of researchers in different disciplines. More than 842
Ph.D. and 673 M.Phil. researchers have obtained their degrees from this
University.
The University of Dhaka is dedicated to the advancement of learning, and
is committed to promoting research in all fields of knowledge. As there
are plans for further expansion of facilities, plans for new avenues and
opportunities, the course curricula are updated
and new research projects are undertaken
every year. As the pioneer and the largest seat
of learning in the country, the University of
Dhaka has taken the task to foster the transformation
processes of the individual students
and the country as a whole through its educational
and research facilities keeping up with
demands of the day. The University of Dhaka
is at this moment one of the leading institutions
of higher education in Asia.
The University of Dhaka is well prepared to
meet the challenges of the future days with its
spirit of freedom, justice and truth as a foundation
concomitant to the objectives envisaged
by the founding fathers.
The open-minded character of the University
of Dhaka embodying the features of beauty
and historical origins can be seen as one
enters the campus.
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