Govt wants to make 13 century-old colleges centres of excellence

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni has said the present government has been working relentlessly to ensure quality of education side by side with its quantity for development of the country through improving skilled human resources.

“We have adopted diversified measures including infrastructural development, teacher training and recruitment of quality teachers to ensure quality of education for achieving the sustainable development goals through taking the nation forward,” she added.

She was addressing the inaugural ceremony of a two-day reunion celebration of the HSC alumnus of Rajshahi College- 2019 at its playground on Friday as chief guest.

Established in 1873, the college is hosting this festival for its old and current HSC students for the first time in its 146-year history. More than 10,000 persons including some 8,400 alumnus from 1947 to 2021 are taking part in the celebration.

The festival was included rally, reminiscence, cultural function and photo session.

Dr Dipu Moni said all the 13 century-old colleges in the country including Rajshahi College will be transformed into a centre of excellence to enrich the country’s education sector.

She urged all concerned particularly the teachers to ensure quality education terming it as the first and foremost demand of the nation.

She added that the issue of quality education should be attached with utmost importance and teachers and other stakeholders must play proactive roles with sincerity and honesty to this end.

The education minister urged the college authority to uphold the heritage and tradition of the country’s ancient college through their heartfelt efforts.

Dipu Moni mentioned that time has come to take the nation forward successfully with collective efforts of all patriotic people as there is no more time to be wasted.

In response to some demands placed before the minister for further improvement of the country’s ancient and glorified college, she told the audience that a new 10-storey dormitory for female students and an administrative building in the college is expected to be built within the near future.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Abdul Quddus, MP, Ayen Uddin, MP, and Advocate Adiba Anjum Mita, MP, also spoke with Principal of the college Prof Habibur Rahman in the chair.

The meeting was told that Rajshahi College has been adjudged as the country’s best educational institution for the fourth consecutive year for its outstanding performance in the academic arena since 2016. National University also declared the college as the country’s best one based on its ranking.

It is said to be the third oldest institutions of higher education in Bangladesh after Dhaka College and Chittagong College. Within a short period after its establishment in 1873, the college became one of the main centres of higher education for the inhabitants of East Bengal, North Bengal, Bihar and Assam. Rajshahi College stopped enrolling Higher Secondary students in 1996 but again started enrolling from session 2010-2011.

Before the opening ceremony, a huge and colourful rally was brought out from the college premises and ended at the same place after parading some of the main city streets.

Dhaka/Tanjimul Haque/AKA