The 93rd founding anniversary of Dhaka University (DU) was observed with great enthusiasm and festive mood on TuesdayThe theme of this year’s day was “Higher Education for Economic Development and Social Justice”.In the morning, students from different residential halls carrying banners, festoons and balloons brought out rallies and assembled at “Mall Chattar” at about 10:00am. Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique led a colourful procession that paraded from “Mall Chattar” (near administrative building) to TSC.To mark the day, the DU authorities chalked out various programmes, including exhibition and children drawing competition on the DU fine arts faculty premises, discussion at TSC auditorium, reminiscence and cultural session, sports and debate competitions.Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury inaugurated the Day by hoisting the national and the university flags and releasing Pigeons and balloons on the university campus in the morning.Pro-Vice-Chancellors Professor Nasreen Ahmed (Academic) and Professor Shahid Akther Hossain (Administration), Treasurer Professor Dr Kamal Uddin and Registrar Syed Rezaul Karim were also present there. DU VC Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique presided over the programme.Former Governor of Bangladesh Bank and Chairman of the National Pay Commission Professor Farashuddin presented the keynote paper on “Higher Education for Economic Development and Social Justice”.Emeritus professors, former vice-chancellors, pro-vice-chancellors, provosts of halls, deans, teachers and representatives of staff and employees took part in the session.Dhaka University Journalists’ Association (DUJA) also brought out a procession from TSC and it paraded important streets on the campus. In the afternoon, former and present members of DUJA took part in a friendly cricket match in the Hakim Chhattar of the University. While inaugurating the Day, Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said, the teachers and the students of this university are spreading their innovative knowledge through their various research works.”It is not possible to separate DU from the history of Bangladesh because the students, the teachers and the employees played a vital role during our language movement and War of Independence in 1971. They sacrificed their lives for the cause of the country,” she said this citing the DU’s glorious history. The speaker, however, urged the students to be more attentive in their learning, besides their various cultural activities which enrich the country. Stressing the need for IT, Prof Farashuddin in his key note paper said, “if the higher education is decorated with IT, the doors of economic development open smoothly”. Citing the development of higher education in the country, Farasuddin said, “1.7 percent of the total population are receiving higher education while 39 percent of the woman are engaged in economic activities, which is really amazing”. On poverty alleviation, he said 26 percent of the population is living under poverty line, which was 70 percent in 1972. Farassuddin said, the government should take proper initiatives to develop education, health, communication and service sector to establish the social justice. Professor Emeritus Sirajul Islam said, social justice would be established if we can build a discrimination-free society where everyone will get equal privilege. In his speech, DU VC Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique said, the University of Dhaka is working for a happy Bangladesh, which was the dream of our freedom fighters. DU VC Arefin thanked the invited guests for participating in the anniversary programme. Dhaka University was established on July 1 in 1921. It started with three faculties, 12 departments and 847 students.
