DHAKA, March 12, 2022 (BSS) - The professor emeritus of Dhaka University Dr Serajul Islam Choudhury said today that the role of Dhaka University in terms of shaping the society, building secularism, resistance to imperialism and overall building the country is incomparable.
 
"The university had not kept itself limited only to educating people, conducting research and publications, but also played a pioneering role in making and shaping the society, building the country, fighting communalism and establishing secularism," said Sirazul Islam.
 
Sirajul Islam, emeritus professor of DU English department, was addressing as the chair at the discussion of DU alumni centenary reunion titled 'DU Alumni in the journey of Bangladesh' at university's central filed, organised by The Dhaka University Alumni Association (DUAA).
 
The centenary reunion was organized marking the centenary of Dhaka University, the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of the country's independence.
 
"The university had never compromised with communal values and taught secularism in the country at the time when countries in this sub-continent were being divided based on religious identity," said Sirazul Islam.
 
He said there were strong effects of communalism outside the university after its establishment but whenever it comes to the university it had to fall flat as the university had never taught communal education though there were only 178 Muslim students out of 857 during its beginning.
 
It had played a vital role in creating middle-class Bengali society which later contributed to all the democratic movements followed by partition of Bengal which include Language movement, mass uprising and finally Liberation War in 1971, he added.
 
The university has made a great contribution to the empowerment of women, he said, adding that there were only two female students at the university during its inception but now it has over 15 thousand female students and around 700 faculties.
 
The emeritus professor called upon the alumni to work to bring qualitative changes in the university along with infrastructural development, saying: "Research, publishing and translation should be encouraged and be patronized."

The discussion was also addressed by the Prime Minister's Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Affairs Adviser Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Awami League Presidium Member and former agriculture minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, Writer and Politician Inam Ahmed Chowdhury, Professor Hamida Akhtar Begum, Cultural Figure Ramdendu Majumdar, former FBBCI President Mir Nasir Hossain, former Member of Parliament Shamsuzzaman Dudu and DU Teachers' Association (DUTA) President Professor Rahmat Ullah.

The inaugural function of the celebration began at 10:00am with recitation from the holy books, rendering of national anthem and hoisting of the national flag.

Motiul Islam, the oldest living student of the university, delivered a speech as the chief guest at the inaugural session presided over by the DUAA president AK Azad.

More than 9,000 alumni of DUAA along with the guests from home and aboard attended the grand programme.

At the centenary reunion program, a total of 100 eminent alumni members have been honoured posthumously. In the evening, a cultural program was also held.