Rajshahi, Sept 30 – For the development of the nation and the state there is no alternative to leadership. Democracy and development are complementary to one another. For consolidating the basis of the democracy honest and eligible leadership should be made. This leadership will be generated form only student politics which should be free from individual and communal interest. Appendage political system should be abolished from student politics. President Abdul Hamid who is also the Chancellor of Rajshahi University said this while presiding over the 10th convocation of the university on Saturday. The President said we should run our academic activities with the intention of surviving in a competitive world and forging ahead. We must ensure that no one can question the academic activities. Higher education should not be confined to the certificate and should not be commercial. It should be for the sake of the nation and the state. If we cannot do we will be backward in world competition and unemployment problem will rise.
Terming the university as the centre of unveiling free-thought through the exercise of knowledge and research, he said, new knowledge and technology will come to light. The new knowledge and technologies become the wealth of the world.
President Md Abdul Hamid asked the graduates to awaken their conscience, cognition of morality and patriotism. He also advised them to never be defeat by untrue and wrong.
President Abdul Hamid recommends the presents to always keep in mind by this convocation that the door of education is not closed but it unveils the door of knowledge. You will be swimming in the sea of knowledge that will be effluent in your life.
The convocation program was started at 2:30pm with recitation from the holy books of four major religions.
Abdul Hamid, chancellor of the university handed over honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Lit.) degrees to Professor Dr Hasan Azuzul Hoque and Professor Selina Hossain on the program.
A total of 6,014 graduates participated in the ceremony and received their certificates while 44 students got gold medals for their outstanding academic results.
The president landed at the playground attached to Sayed Ameer Ali Hall of the university at 2:00pm. Later, he went to university stadium by car where he presented a guard of honour.
Chancellor Abdul Hamid also laid down the foundation stone of two ten-story halls – one for male students and another for female students of the university. The female will be named as ‘Deshratna Shiekh Hasina Hall’ while the boys’ hall will be named as ‘Shaheed AHM Kamaruzzaman Hall’.
Among others, Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid was present as special guest. Former vice chancellor of Chittagong University (CU) and eminent historian emirates professor Alomgir Md Sirazuddin was present as convocation speaker while RU Vice-Chancellor Professor M Abdus Sobhan made the address of welcome. Besides, Rajshahi city corporation mayor AHM Khayruzzaman Liton, local law maker-FazleHossain Badsha and Ayenuddin and deans of different faculty were also present.
To mark the celebration, RU campus including the convocation site wore a new look with eye-catching decoration, painting and illuminations. The university started its journey on July 6, 1953, with only 161 students and 68 teachers in 6 departments under 3 faculties.
At present, the university has over 1,231 teachers 37,248 are regular students, 43 PhD fellows, 106 MPhil fellows and 149 researchers on the campus, in 58 departments under 9 faculties, along with 9 research institutes and 18 residential halls – 11 for male students and 6 for female students plus the Sheed Mir Abdul Kayyum International Dormitory for international students and researchers. Prof Itrat Hossain Zuberi was the first VC of the university. – Sakib Al Hasan
