Dhaka University - Oxford of the East

The University of Dhaka is the oldest university in Bangladesh. the university worked hard to build up an outstanding record of academic achievement, earning for itself the reputation for being the 'Oxford of the East'. The university contributed to the emergence of a generation of leaders who distinguished themselves in different occupations in East Bengal.


It could be said that Dhaka University is the soul of the country.Why? Because DU is partly the reason of our independence. If the students of this university had not raised their voices against the Pakistanis, then probably we would not have been independent (at least I would not have been sitting here writing this article). In 1952, it was the students of this very university who made Bengali the national language of this country. Today we can speak in Bengali freely in streets, at school or at home because of this martyrs. They sacrificed their lives for this language. And it is said that this fight for language finally led the way to our independence. It took 20 years for our brave warriors to raise their voices and claim for independence.

Though DU is the root cause of our independence strange as it might seem we have yet failed to express our gratitude to this university. The families of these great warriors are now leading the worse lives than anyone can imagine. Most of them even find it difficult to afford a day's meal. And what about the DU? What else could be said? It is no longer the Oxford of the East. The sole reason is the increasing corruption of this country. It remains as a forgotten part of the country. The DU which made the existence of this country possible is now increasingly criticized by the country folks. In fact, it no longer remains an educational institute. It is now the grounds of politics. Even the students who are living in the DU halls are among the ones who are badly reputed in the country. So parents even if they are happy that their children are the students of this infamous university yet again they are worried for the same reason.

DU is increasingly used by our beloved politicians for their own benefits. It is now the cause of the regular strikes, conflicts between the students and the police and all other crisis in the country. The country has long been failed to encourage foreign investment for all these reasons and that's why our country is still one of the poorest and the least developing countries in this world. DU once encouraged the students to protest and claim their rights. Today, DU is discouraging them to do so. The first years fail to get a place in the halls because of the session jam the students of the previous batches have not yet left the halls.

Furthermore, even the students who have graduated from the DU but yet they are poor, having been failed to get a proper job, bribe the authority so that they do not lose their place in the DU hall. For instance, recently a first year student raised his voice against the seniors claiming his right over a room in the hall. The seniors instead threatened him and threw him out of the hall. Now he has to come all the way from Narayanganj to do the class and then leave after his classes end. NO other students protested and I doubt whether anyone would ever again because who wants to face the same outcome?

Strictly speaking, Bangladesh is still alive because of the existence of the DU. Bangladesh is still alive because of the DU. But what a pity? It is the DU for which there is a fear in each and every one of our hearts as anything violent might happen at any instant.