President Urges University of Dhaka to Join Ranks of World’s Leading Universities
President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has urged University of Dhaka (DU) to further improve the quality of education and bring the institution into the ranks of the world’s leading universities. He made the call on Sunday when a delegation led by DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A.B.M. Obaidul Islam paid a courtesy visit to him at Bangabhaban.
The president said Dhaka University is not only the country’s leading institution of higher education but also a centre of Bangladesh’s politics, history, heritage and culture. “Democracy is a culture that develops step by step through regular practice. Free, fair and impartial elections are essential for this. At the same time, adequate space must be given to opponents and opposition parties to make democracy effective. That is the beauty of democracy. Democracy must be allowed to function effectively at its own pace,” he said.
Congratulating Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on his election as president, the DU vice-chancellor briefed him on the university’s overall academic activities. He also formally invited the president to attend the university’s upcoming 54th convocation as chancellor. The president accepted the invitation and assured the delegation that he would attend the event.
The president’s military secretary, secretary and press secretary, as well as DU Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Treasurer, were present during the meeting. Earlier in the afternoon, another delegation led by Shri Padmanabha Thakur, president of the central committee of Shri Shri Hari-Guruchand Matua Mission, met the president at Bangabhaban.
The president called for collective efforts to build an inclusive, democratic and prosperous Bangladesh by maintaining harmony among people regardless of religion or ethnicity. He said people from all communities, including Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians, fought together in the Liberation War of Bangladesh. “It is through everyone’s unity that we achieved an independent Bangladesh. Any attempt to destroy this unity and harmony must be strongly resisted.”
He said Hindus and Muslims in the country have maintained longstanding social ties and urged everyone to remain vigilant to preserve this harmony. The president also called for initiatives to undertake various programmes and specific development plans for the welfare and development of the disadvantaged Matua community. He assured the delegation of all-out cooperation in this regard.
Other members of the delegation included Shri Subarna Sikder (Thakur), executive president of the central committee of Shri Shri Hari-Guruchand Matua Mission and a reserved-seat member of parliament; committee advisers Ahsan Habib Apu and Somen Kumar Saha; General Secretary Debashish Biswas; Nityananda Mondal, president of the Khulna district committee of Shri Shri Hari-Guruchand Matua Mission; and other leaders of the Matua community.
