Dhaka, Sept 6 (BSS) - Eminent educationist Professor Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed today took oath as the 17th President of Bangladesh.

  Chief Justice Mainur Reza Chowdhury administered the oath of office to the new President at a simple ceremony at the "Bangabhaban", the presidential house, this evening.

  Begum Khaleda Zia and invited guests congratulated the new President with a big clap. The President responded with a smile.

  Among others, the leaders of the ruling four-party alliance were present on the occasion.

  Seventy-One-year-old professor Iajuddin Ahmed, who taught in the Dhaka university in the soil science department for long and has a doctorate degree from an American university, was the lone candidate for the election of the presidency after two other nominations papers of insignificant candidates were rejected in the scrutiny by the Election Commission.

  The presidency is a ceremonial post elected by the members of parliament and the new head of the state was the nominee of the ruling four-party alliance which has more than two-third majority in the 300-member house. The opposition did not put up a nominee evidently for the reason that the outcome of election is a foregone conclusion because of unassailable majority of the ruling coalition.

  The position fell vacant after professor(Dr.) B. Chowdhury was asked to resign by the BNP party of which he was the nominee for presidency and was in the position for more than eight months.

  The former president was also present at the swearing in ceremony of the new president. Speaker of parliament Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar was acting president of the country during the interregnum.

Life-Sketch of Prof. Iajuddin

  Prof. Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed taking oath as the country's 17th President tomorrow was born in a respectable Muslim family of the village Nayagaon under Munshiganj district on February 1, 1931.

  Son of Late Moulvi Muhammad Ibrahim, he was always a brilliant student with his Matriculation from Munshiganj High School in 1948, I Sc from Munshiganj Haraganga College in 1950 and B Sc as well as M Sc from Dhaka University in 1952 and 1954 getting remarkable credits in each examination.

  After obtaining his M. S. and Ph D degrees from the Wisconsin University of the United States in 1958 and 1962, Dr, Iajuddin Ahmed joined Dhaka University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Soil Science in 1963. He became Associate Professor in 1964 and Professor in 1973. He was the provost of Salimullah Muslim Hall of DU from 1975 to 1983.

  Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed was chairman of the Department of Soil Science for two terms from 1968 to 1969 and 1976 to 1979. He was the Dean of the Faculty of Biological Science of DU also for two terms from 1989 to 1990 and 1990 to 1991. He was also a member of the senate, syndicate, academic council and board of advance studies of Dhaka University.

 

  His professional career was distinguished with extraordinary credentials as being an Adviser of the caretaker government in 1991 as well as Chairman of the Public Service Commission (1991-93) and the University Grants Commission (1995- 99). Before being declared as the country's next president, he was the vice-chancellor of a private university named State University of Bangladesh.

  Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed was a visiting professor of Cornell University in the United States in 1983 and the German Technical University in Berlin, Research Centre in Bunteif and Gatinzens University in Germany in 1984.

  He has to his credit as many as 125 research papers published in different newspapers and journals at home and abroad. Of them, 48 research papers were published in foreign newspapers. He conducted a research on the process of salinity on paddy plants and also identified its impact on the soil side by side with scrutinizing the high yielding paddy in the coastal belt of Bangladesh.

  Prof. Iajuddin Ahmed also invented a process of preserving nutrients into the soil for long and supplying them as per the demands of trees. This invention has brought for him much laurel in the United States.

  He was also engaged in various organizational activities as being member of the Federation of University Teachers Associations, president of Dhaka University Teachers Association and covenor of Combined Teachers Movement (1990).

  He got various awards including Ibrahim Memorial Gold Medal in 1987- 88, Sri Gjyan Atish Dipanker Gold Medal in 1990, Crest (Adafs) in 1991 and Ekushey Award for Education in 1995. He is a member of the International Soil Science Association, Indian Soil Science Association, Bangladesh Soil Science Association and the Asiatic society.

  Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed as a member of Bangladesh delegation attended the 49th regular session of the UN General Assembly in 1994 and spoke on the Palestinian refugees as well as the Global trade and development.

  He is actively involved as life-member with various educational and social welfare organizations. Besides, he is widely respected as a hero of the 1952 historic Language Movement, an ideal educationist and a researcher.

  His wife Dr. Anwara Begum is a professor of Zoology Department in Dhaka University. She was chairman of this department and provost of Shamsunnahar Hall.

  Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed and Dr. Anwara Begum are blessed with three children- daughter Sujan Ahmad and two sons-Adam Ahmad and Imtiayz Ahmad. Sujan Ahmad is married and now studying Ph D in the United States. Eldest son Adam Ahmad also married is doing a job in the United States while the second son unmarried Imtiyaz Ahmad is studying in Montreal, Canada.