DHAKA: Expressing concern over the evening courses in public universities, President M Abdul Hamid said a section of teachers have turned university into a business institution disrupting its overall academic environment.

He said different public universities have introduced several departments, evening courses, diploma courses and institutes. Apart from the regular courses, many students are coming out successfully from such ‘business course’ and a section of teachers are making cash turning the university into a business institution, he added.

The President was addressing the 52nd Convocation of Dhaka University (DU) on Monday afternoon (Dec 9).

M Abdul Hamid said, “Many public universities turn into private ones at night…the campus also becomes a fair in the evening. This cannot be accepted at all.”

Some teachers remain very serious about the evening and diploma courses in private universities due to handsome remuneration, the head of state observed.

He directed the university authority to consider research activities depending on whether it is fundamental research or a research merely for getting promoted.

Mentioning the recent untoward incidents in different universities, President Hamid said it has tarnished the image of the university and learners as well.

He said students get admitted into the university to acquire knowledge but not to face any penalty or even death.

Congratulating the graduates for attaining the degree, he advised the students to become worthy citizens of the country.

President Hamid thanked the DU authority for holding Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) election, hoping that the next polls would be held without any untoward incident.

The president also expressed his gratitude to the DU authority, especially the VC as the university decided to confer Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with Honorary Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) posthumously, in 2020, marking the Mujib Year.

Nobel laureate in Physics Prof Takkaki Kajita, also director of the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research of Tokyo University in Japan, attended the program as the convocation speaker.

DU VC Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman, Pro-VC (administration) Prof Dr Muhammad Samad, Pro-VC (education) Prof Dr Nasrin Ahmed, also spoke on the occasion.

A total 20,796 graduates were conferred degree on the occasion. Of them, 98 students received gold medals from the president, while Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degrees were conferred on 57 and 14 students respectively.

Seven colleges affiliated with Dhaka University also participated in the convocation ceremony for the first time, from two venues — Dhaka College, and Eden College campuses — through video conferencing.

BDST: 2000 HRS, DEC 09, 2019
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