University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh

The first proposal to establish a university came in 1917, when Calcutta University created the Sadler Commission to assess the university system in Bengal. However, the recommendations of the report had no immediate consequences.

Following the Partition of India in 1947, what is now Bangladesh became East Pakistan. University of Dhaka, established in 1921, was the only university in East Pakistan at the time. Demand for a university in the northern part of East Pakistan gained momentum when two universities were established in West Pakistan without the establishment of any in the east. Students of Rajshahi College were at the forefront of the movement demanding a new university. Finally, Rajshahi was selected as the home for the second university in East Pakistan and the Rajshahi University Act of 1953 (East Bengal Act XV of 1953) was passed by the East Pakistan provincial Assembly on 31 March 1953.Itrat Hossain Zuberi, the principal of Rajshahi College was appointed its first vice-chancellor.

Initially, the university was housed in temporary locations, such as the local Circuit House and Bara Kuthi, an 18th-century Dutch establishment. B B Hindu Academy, a local school, housed the library, teachers’ lounge and the medical centre. The university started out with 20 professors, 161 students (of which 5 were female) and six departments—Bengali, English, History, Law, Philosophy and Economics. In 1964, the offices moved to the permanent campus.

The 1960s was a turbulent period in Bangladesh, when demands for East Pakistani autonomy became stronger. The students and staff of the university started playing an increasing role in politics. On 18 February 1969, Shamsuzzoha, a professor, was killed by the police when he tried to prevent them from shooting student demonstrators. This date is now commemorated as Zoha Day.During the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, the campus was used as a base by the Pakistan Army. A number of professors, students and officers of the university were killed by the Pakistan army during this period.

After independence, a new act regarding the administration of the university came into being—the Rajshahi University Act of 1973. The post-independence years saw the university grow steadily in student enrolment and size of the academic staff. However, the 1980s were turbulent for the university, as the students agitated with other institutions of the country against the military rule of Hossain Muhammad Ershad. Since the early 1990s, the university have seen relative calm and lowering of session backlogs, though active student politics remains a contentious issue.

The university’s 58 departments are organised into ten faculties. Rajshahi University is in a 753 acres (3 km²) campus in Motihar, 3 kilometres (2 mi) from the Rajshahi city centre. With 25,000 students and close to 1000 academic staff, it is one of the largest universities in Bangladesh. In addition to hosting programs in engineering, arts, law, sciences, agriculture, social sciences, business studies and medical sciences, the university houses institutes of higher studies.

The university’s main campus is in Motihar, on the eastern side of the city of Rajshahi and a mile from the river Padma. The campus area is nearly 753 acres (3.05 km²). Access to the walled-off campus is controlled through three security gates. It houses eleven large academic buildings—five for the arts, business studies and social sciences, four for the sciences and two for agricultural studies.

A few miles from the main campus is the Varendra Research Museum, one of the richest repertory of Bengal sculptures in the world. Established in 1910 by Ramaprasad Chanda, the museum became a part of the university in 1960s when a financial crisis threatened its existence. Under the university, the museum has thrived, adding an folklore gallery to its impressive collection from ancient and medieval Bengal.

The Bara Kuthi, where the university was established is still under university control, and is on the Padma not too far from Varendra Museum. The university has an agricultural facility few miles from the main campus. Rajshahi University maintains other facilities across the country including a guesthouse in the capital city, Dhaka.

Rajshahi University Affiliated Colleges

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Contact for Admission & More Details

Mr. Arun Bapna +919001099110 (Also on WhatsApp, IMO & Viber)