Collected from Prothom Alo
Textile College is Now a University
Mahfuz Rahman | Date: 15-12-2010
It was the 26th of September. The time was around four, four-thirty in the afternoon. The TV room in the hall was packed with people. Despite the crowd, there was barely any sound beyond a few murmurs. For some special reason, all the viewers were nearly silent, restless within. But suddenly, after hearing something on TV, the spell was broken and the previously silent youths started speaking up. More than just words, it erupted into cheers and jubilation. People poured out onto the street in celebratory processions. Why? Because that day, the Bangladesh Textile University Bill, 2010 was passed in the National Parliament! From then on, the name ‘College of Textile Engineering and Technology’ was replaced with ‘Bangladesh Textile University’.
The history of Bangladesh Textile University is quite old. In 1921, during British rule, a weaving school was established in Narinda, Dhaka. It was named ‘East Bengal Textile Institute’. In 1950, a diploma course was introduced in the institution and the name was changed to ‘East Pakistan Textile Institute’. All of these activities were happening in Narinda. In 1960, the institution was moved to its present campus in the Tejgaon commercial area. Since 1978, a four-year bachelor’s degree course was launched there under the University of Dhaka. Along with that, the name was changed to ‘College of Textile Engineering and Technology’. Over time, that name too became history as of September 26. Now, the institution is a full-fledged university. Naturally, this change has brought immense joy and excitement to the nearly one thousand students of Bangladesh Textile University. Just like everyone else, Mithun Roy, a third-year student of Textile Management, is overjoyed: “This was our long-standing demand. Now that it’s fulfilled, we’re definitely happy. We’ll be even more delighted when we get to enjoy all the facilities of a university. The most exciting thing is that becoming a university will greatly accelerate the improvement in our education. Before, it wasn’t possible to do an MSc here, but now it is.” Standing next to him was Ruhul Amin, also a third-year from the Textile Engineering department. He shared his feelings and expectations: “Now that it’s a university, we’re very happy. The question now is, what facilities will the coming days bring us? New teachers will join, and we’ll get a vice chancellor. Our campus will get bigger. It’s said that our laboratories are among the best and most self-sufficient not just in Bangladesh but also in South Asia. We hope to get more modern equipment. There’s no alternative to research for creativity.” Saidur Rahman, a second-year student, added a few more items to the list: “We’ve talked about the quality of education, but there’s also the matter of living standards in the three halls here (MAG Osmani Hall, Shaheed Aziz Hall, and the Women’s Hall). The hall charges are a bit high, and so is the cost of food. It would be great if we had internet access. There’s also the issue of electricity and water. Just the other day, dining was shut down at Osmani Hall due to problems with electricity and water, and students had to eat outside.”
There are always some shortcomings, but Rubaiyat Shanta, a fourth-year student, is still very hopeful: “Becoming a university has opened up many new opportunities. At the same time, our morale has been greatly strengthened. Now we can proudly say we study at a university! We have several clubs and organizations, there’s a theater group, and blood donation programs are held regularly. Except for the debating club, some of the other organizations had slowed down a bit. I hope that everything will become vibrant again in this new atmosphere. The boys are always lively on the sports field, which is wonderful to see. The library would be better with more books. We regularly organize cultural events too. We recently staged a drama. And notably, just recently, the Textile Engineering Debating Club became champions in a national television debate!”
Calling the textile sector the backbone of Bangladesh’s economy is no exaggeration. The proof can be seen in our export earnings. Currently, the majority of our national exports come from the textile sector. Bangladesh Textile University has undoubtedly played a crucial role behind this. Nearly 2,500 graduates from here are working in important positions at renowned textile mills across the country. So, the promotion of the Textile College to a university has certainly set the textile sector of Bangladesh on a greater path to prosperity—that much can be said without hesitation.
The acting Vice-Chancellor of this institution, a cradle for skilled workforce powering such a vital sector of the national economy, is Masud Ahmed. Speaking about the transition from college to university, he shared his feelings: “This was our dream. But due to some temporary complications, the activities of the university are not progressing as planned. We want to get the university functioning as soon as possible. The good news is that with the upgrade from college to university, students here will become even more enriched, and Bangladesh’s textile sector will become even stronger. We have many new initiatives and plans. We hope that everything will be in proper order soon.”
2010 December 15. Added from Canada, 2010 December 14.
Shafiul Islam
Email: [email protected] :: Website: textek.weebly.com :: Canada :: www.linkedin.com/in/shafiul2009
‘…আশার কথা হলো, কলেজ থেকে বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ে উন্নীত হওয়ায় শিক্ষার্থীরা আরও সমৃদ্ধ হবে, বাংলাদেশের টেক্সটাইল খাত হবে আরও শক্তিশালী….’