Chittagong University Steps into 57th Year: Achievements, Crisis and Expectations

 

The University of Chittagong, a campus of picturesque natural beauty, has entered 57 years of its establishment this year. The University of Chittagong is one of the four fully autonomous universities in the country. It is the third public university in the country in terms of establishment. The University of Chittagong officially started its journey on November 18, 1966 and it is by far the largest university campus in the country—which is surrounded with 2100 acres of large hilly and flat land.

The University of Chittagong was founded with four departments of Bengali, English, History and Economics, 7 teachers and 200 students. Now the university has 10 faculties, 48 departments and 6 institutes. About 28,000 students are studying here and have 920 teachers. There are a total of 13 dormitory halls (8 for boys, 5 for girls) and one hostel for students.

History behind the establishment of Chittagong University:

As there was no university in the Chittagong division at the beginning of the twentieth century, the people of Chittagong felt the need for a university locally. On 28 December 1940, Maulana Moniruzzaman, in his speech to the Islamabad All India Conference of Jamiat Ulama Hind in Calcutta, proposed the construction of an 'Islamic University' in the Chittagong region and for the same purpose he purchased land for the construction of a university at Deyang Hill in Anwara upazila of Chittagong. Two years later, on 28 February 1942, Nur Ahmad, Chairman, formally demanded the establishment of a university in Chittagong in the Bengal Legislative Assembly.

In the sixties, during the preparation of the Second Five Year Plan of Pakistan (1960-1965), it was decided to set up a 'Science University' in Chittagong. And Chittagong Government College, located in the heart of the city, was selected as a probable campus for the construction of the university. In 1962, Mohammad Ferdous Khan, the then Deputy Director of Public Education in East Pakistan, prepared a preliminary draft plan for the establishment of Chittagong University. In the same year, in the election campaign of 1962, Khan Bahadur Fazlul Quader Chowdhury made a general promise to establish this university and after the election he was elected Union Minister of Education and took formal initiative to establish a university in Chittagong.

After the initial decision to set up this university on the site of Chittagong Government College was changed, a protest assembly was held on 7 May 1961 at the initiative of the people of Chittagong. In that assembly, Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah, in his keynote speech, expressed his support for the establishment of a university in Chittagong and formed the 'Chittagong University Struggle Council' for its implementation. Subsequently, on 30 December 1962, another council called 'Chittagong University Student Struggle Council' was formed. At the initiative of all these organizations, communication and issuance of memorandums, statements in newspapers, seminars were held at different levels. On January 8, 1963, a strike was observed in the educational institutions of Chittagong under the leadership of 'Chhatra Sangram Parishad.'

On 29 November 1963, Khan Bahadur Fazlul Quader Chowdhury was elected Speaker of the Pakistan National Assembly. Although initially planned to establish the university in Sylhet, Cumilla and Noakhali, Khan Bahadur Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, presiding over a cabinet meeting on 12 December 1963 in the absence of President Ayub Khan, directed Union Education Minister A.T.M Mostafa to take necessary steps to establish the university from Cumilla to Chittagong. A meeting of the National Economic Council held under his chairmanship on 9 March 1964 approved the necessary funds for the construction of Chittagong University. Later, the Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Dr. M Osman Gani was elected as the Chairman and Dr. Kudrat-e-Khuda, Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah, M Ferdous Khan and Dr. Mofizuddin Ahmed were elected as members of the University. The commission observed the site and recommended the secluded hilly land of Paschim-Patti mouza of Fatehpur union of Hathazari upazila as the site of the proposed university. The decision to set up the University of Chittagong was taken at a meeting of the National Economic Council held in Islamabad on 17-19 July 1964 under the chairmanship of the Acting President of Pakistan Khan Bahadur Fazlul Quader Chowdhury. On 29 August 1964, the President of Pakistan Ayub Khan laid the foundation stone of Chittagong University.

On December 3, 1965, professor of Rajshahi University, Department of History and former curator of the Varendra Research Museum Professor Dr. Azizur Rahman Mallick (AR Mallick) was appointed as the Project Director of Chittagong University. Then Dr. Azizur Rahman Mallick set up the office of Chittagong University Project in a building named 'Kakasan' on Nasirabad Housing Society Road No. 3 in Chittagong city. Dr. Azizur Rahman Mallick was the first vice-chancellor of Chittagong University. On 14 December 1965, according to an official notification, all the officers and employees of the University Branch of the then Pakistan Directorate of Education were transferred to the Chittagong University Project Office. A master plan of the university was prepared through the ‘Bastakala’ institute of architect Mazharul Islam. Initially, a two-storey administrative building, departmental office, one-storey building for classrooms and library were constructed as well as accommodation for teachers and students. Finally, on 18 November 1966, Chittagong University officially started its journey. Therefore, November 18 is celebrated as University Day.

Chittagong University is located in Hathazari upazila, 22 km from Chittagong city. So the shuttle train was started in 1980 to facilitate the commute of students. And this shuttle train is the main attraction of Chittagong University. Chittagong University is currently the only shuttle train's university in the world.

At present there are 21 educational institutions under Chittagong University. Chittagong University has the largest university library in Chittagong—so that there are more than three and a half lakh books and have rare collections. Many notable former teachers and students have studied and taught at this university, including one Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus and multiple Ekushey Padak winners.

Founded five years before the Great Liberation War, Chittagong University played an active role in various movements of the country including the mass uprising of 1969, the struggle for independence of Bangladesh. Later, the university played a significant role in the anti-authoritarian movement of the 1990s.

On the eve of the War of Liberation in 1971, the then Vice-Chancellor of the University Dr. Azizur Rahman Mallick to build resistance against the possible attack of the Pakistani army on March 8. 'Chittagong University Sangram Parishad' was formed under the chairmanship of Dr. Azizur Rahman Mallick. On March 24, in support of the freedom struggle, a mass music program was organized by the Alumni Association at the central field of the university. On March 26, Pakistani forces occupied the university campus, and used it as a base for nine consecutive months. The Pakistani army set up their concentration camp here. Later, at the end of the war, the freedom fighters led by Zafar Imam raided the university on 14 December 1971 and on 16 December, nine days after the surrender of the Pakistani army in Dhaka, Chittagong University was liberated from Pakistani control on 25 December.
In 1971, a university teacher, 12 students and three officials were killed in the Bangladesh War of Independence. Mohammad Hossain, an employee of the university Engineering Department, was given the title of Bir Pratik for his heroism in the war of liberation. In order to preserve this history, a memorial has been erected at Zero Point premises at the entrance of the university in 2009 to commemorate the victims of the liberation war.

In the long 56 years since the establishment of Chittagong University in 1966, many intellectuals, scholars and national heroes have been created from Chittagong University. Subcontinent renowned physicist Professor Dr. Jamal Nazrul Islam, Nobel Laureate Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Social Scientist Professor Dr. Anupam Sen, Professor Dr. Anisuzzaman, Professor Abul Fazal, Alauddin Al Azad, Syed Ali Ahsan, Murtaza Bashir, Dhali Al Mamun, Partha Barua, former UGC Chairman Abdul Mannan and many other eminent scholars have spread the light of knowledge from this university.


Emran Emon is a researcher,
journalist and columnist.