Colorless golden jubilee at JU

Jahangirnagar University (JU) is called the realm of natural beauty and is known as one of the top and only residential university of Bangladesh. It is set to celebrate its glorious golden jubilee of independence today amid colorless festivity due to the pandemic.  Since its official inauguration on January 12, 1971, Jahangirnagar University has been around for almost five decades, almost the same age as the state of Bangladesh.

The university was founded as Jahangirnagar Muslim University to operate the university like Aligarh Muslim University on 20 August 1970 by the Jahangirnagar Muslim University Ordinance of the government of Pakistan through the implementation of University project started in June 1968 under the direction of Educationist Surat Ali Khan.

Then it formally began its academic activities as a residential university from 12 January 1971, with four departments, 150 students, 21 teachers, and three residential halls. Governor of the then East-Pakistan Rear Admiral S M Ahsan formally inaugurated the university and the day was observed as the founding day of JU each year with fanfare and festivity.

After the independence of Bangladesh, the 'Jahangirnagar Muslim University Act' was amended as the 'Jahangirnagar University Act' 1973. JU acting proctor ASM Firoz-Ul-Hasan said, 'we arrange a few programs to celebrate golden jubilee over online due to Covid- 19. It's in a rough state that why we try our level best to make the day comparatively much better.'

'After the Establishment, today the university has a total of 37 departments under six faculties and three institutes. There are about 14,000 students on the campus. There are 16 residential halls, 8 for boys and 8 for girls. Besides 6 new multistoried residential halls are under construction, 3 for boys and 3 for girls.'He reminisced.Mentionable, on 12 January 2001, the first 'University Day' was observed in Jahangirnagar on the initiative of the then Vice-Chancellor Professor Abdul Bayes.

---Aritro Das, JU