Bangla College

Government Bangla College

সরকারি বাঙলা কলেজ
Type	Public
Established	October 1, 1962
Chancellor	President Abdul Hamid
Principal	Prof. Md. Imam Hossain
Academic staff	21
Administrative staff	400
Students	32000
Undergraduates	25000
Postgraduates	5,000
Other students	2000
Location	Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Nickname	GBC
Affiliations	University of Dhaka
Website	www.sarkaribanglacollege.gov.bd

Government Bangla College (Bengali: সরকারি বাঙলা কলেজ) is a government funded educational institution, located in the north-west part of the capital city of Dhaka in Bangladesh. The college was established on 1 October 1962 by Principal Abul Kashem to promote the use of the Bangla in higher education and to establish the language in all spheres of national life of Bangalis.^[1]

History

The Perspective of Nomenclature

This college has been named "Bangla College" especially at a time when Bangla has become a medium of instruction in nearly all spheres of higher education. Though in the present context this name does not bear any significance, the scenario was quite different in the past. In the time of erstwhile Pakistan English was the medium of instruction in all spheres of higher education. Besides Urdu was introduced as a medium of instruction into a Urdu medium high school at Mirpur while a Urdu medium college was established in Karachi. In such circumstances some eminent scholars of this country wanted to set up a Bangla University so as to encourage the students to study in Bangla Medium as well as to make the practice of science popular. They wanted to counter the establishment of Urdu college. The establishment of Bangla College was the first step in this regard. At a time when English was used in all colleges, Bangla was then used only in this college. So, the nomenclature was appropriate and significant. When this college was established in 1962, the professors at this college of different subjects prepared their respective lectures and cyclostyled each lecturer in Bangla to provide them for the learners. After necessary correction and addition, those subject-based notes were published in the form of books. Thus, the trend of use of Bangla in higher education was gradually diffused all over the country. In this regard, Bangla College has remained a herald to introduce Bangla as the medium of instruction into the then colleges and universities of this country.^[2]

Background

In 1947 after the division the then Pakistani rulers declared ‘Urdu’ the state language neglecting the vernacular of the majority of people living in the then East Pakistan. As a result, people from all walks of life took part in movement so as to establish their dear Bangla as the state language and tinted the streets red with their own blood on 21 February, 1952. Later on, though in 1956 Bangla was recognized as the most prominent state language, a lot of complaints against this language were raised in terms of its usages in office and court along with as a medium of education.^[2] Soon after the historical Language Movement, in 1956 Bangla was recognized as one of the state languages of Pakistan, in the country’s first Constitution. Shortly thereafter, Principal Abul Kashem, former professor of University of Dhaka and pioneer of the Bengali Language Movement, realized that Bangla is neglected in every different field in Pakistan. In 1960, in a meeting for Martyrs' Day at Curzon Hall at University of Dhaka, He said,

_{“Even before West Pakistan was formed, they have established Urdu College to made Urdu as State language of Pakistan. Government of Pakistan has contributed fund and land toward Urdu College. Although we have fought so much, Government is still ignoring our plea. If government doesn’t response, we should create a Bangla Medium College in the future.}”^[3]

Then in 1961 He had some discussion with some educationists and intellectuals regarding setting up a higher level institute in East Pakistan. He formulated a plan to establish 'Bangla' as the working language of government offices and the medium of instruction through that venture. Shortly, a preparatory committee formed under the leadership of principal Kashem and some activists of Tamaddun Majlish including Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah, Principal Ibrahim Khan, and Dr. Innas Ali. The committee after having a series of internal meetings organized a general meeting at Bangla Academy on 15 February 1961 with Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah in the chair. Leading educationists, litterateurs, journalists and top elites of the country took part in the meeting, which adopted a resolution to set up a Bangla University in Dhaka. As a first step, they decided to establish Bangla College. A follow-up meeting was held on February 19, 1961. Presided over by Khan Bahadur Abdur Rahman Khan, the second meeting was attended by 26 distinguished educationists, writers and journalists. A 51-member organizing council was formed, to set up Bangla College with the then governor of East Pakistan Lt. General Mohammad Azam Khan as its chief-patron.^[4]

Ray Bahadur Ranadaprasad Saha and Gul Mahammad Adamji were made patrons. Other office bearers of the council were: Vice-Presidents- Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah, Principal Dewan Mhammad Azraf and Khan Bahadur Abduur Rahman Khan; Treasurer- Abdul Hakim, former Director of Public Instruction, Secretary- Principal Ibrahim Khan; Joint-secretaries: Prof. Abul Kashem and Prof. Hasan Zaman; Assistant secretaries- Shah Mustafizur Rhman and Prof. Matiur Rahman; Council members: Abul Kalam Shamsuddin, Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah, Abdus Salam, Sunil Kumar Bose, Muhammad Barkatullah, Professor Abdul Hye, Poet Farrukh Ahmed, Professor SYED ALI AHSAN, Dr. Muhammad Enamul Haq, Begum Shamsunnahar Mahmud, Barrister Abdul Haq and Professor Mofakkharul Islam.^[4]

The Bangla College Organizing Council in its meeting held at Bangla Academy conference room on 18 June 1961 took a decision to launch the academic program the following month (July 1961). The plan to run a Degree College, designed and presented by Abul Kashem was adopted unanimously in the meeting. According to the plan, the meeting decided to include the departments of Bangali, English, Political Science, Islamic History and Culture, Economics and Elementary Sciences under the Faculty of Arts and Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, English and Sociology under the Science Faculty. It also adopted a resolution to appoint ten Professors including the Principal and Eleven Staffs of the College immediately. The Council also decided that the teachers would deliver their lectures in Bangla. They would also prepare the handouts in Bengali for the students till the textbooks were written in Bangali. It also gave a decision to publish all the handouts and lecture notes in the form of subject-wise books at the end of the year.^[4]

The fourth meeting of the Bangla College Organizing Council was held at the East Pakistan Writers Guild Office on 4 March 1962 with Khan Bahadur Badiur Rahman in the chair. The council discussed two important agenda: Fund raising and site selection for Bangla College. A 9-member Fund Raising Committee for Dhaka and another similar Committee for Chittagong were formed. But the Council could not found a suitable place for the College in Dhaka and for that reason, Bangla College opened its door as a night college on 1 October 1962 with only 30 students at the building of Nabakumar Institution of Bakshibazar. During the 1962-63 academic session, students were only enrolled in Intermediate (Humanities group) and BA first year. Intermediate Science group was opened here in 1963 and following these steps the number of students increased to 450 by 1964.^[4]

At the outset, the Principal, the Vice Principal and some Professors served in Bangla College without taking any salary for over a year and later a few of them started taking token money. Principal Abul Kashem himself offered voluntary services to the College for eight years and even a room of his Azimpur residence with furniture land logistics was used as the College office for years together as there was no space for that purpose in the building of Nabakumar Institution. There was a provision of holding weekly and half-yearly examinations in the College, which helped it to become a leading institution of the country within a couple of years. The passing percentage of the college in the BA Examinations was 87.5% in 1964. The Education Board granted permission to introduce Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology in intermediate level in 1963. The commerce section was opened in 1965 and permission to open BCom and BSc sections was obtained in 1969.^[4]

Nabakumar Institution continued to provide accommodation of Bangla College in its school building during night for 7–8 years. Then Bangla College had to leave that place as that building was allotted to Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah College. After a series of efforts in 1964, the government acquired and allocated a piece of 12 acres of land full of bush and ditches at Mirpur as there was no suitable land was found within the then territory of Dhaka. Following the efforts of the then DPI Mohammad Ferdous Khan, Bangla College adjacent to the acquired land was purchased for the extension of the college with the government's contributions. The construction of the college building was partially completed in 1969. On 4 October of the same year, Central Education Minister of Pakistan Mohammad Shamsul Haq inaugurated the newly built campus launching the classes of BSc and BCom.^[4]

When Bangla College was established, there was no suitable Bangali textbook although students of Intermediate and Degree classes and University level were permitted to answer the questions in Bengali in examinations. Even the questions were not written in Bengali till 1969. In this backdrop, Principal Abul Kashem alone wrote as many as 40 textbooks in Bengali on various subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geometry, Algebra, Statistics and those were published by Bangla College. The College also compiled and published subject wise Bengali books to resolve the crisis of textbooks. He motivated the people to use Bangla in signboards, nameplates, posters and banners through a concerted campaign involving students and teachers of Bangla College. That movement gave a fresh impetus to the 1969 uprising in East Pakistan initiated by the student community.^[4]

At the initial stage of the foundation period of Bangla College, influential contemporary daily newspapers Daily Ittefaq, Daily Azad and the Pakistan Observer extended strong support. In the first meeting, the organizers took a decision to request the then universities, the textbook board and Bangla Academy to allow teachers and students to set question and to give answers in Bangla. According to the decision of meeting, letters and memorandum were sent to the authorities concerned on behalf of Bangla College. A delegation from the College also called on the organization heads to make them understand the issue. These steps, undertaken by Bangla College, could able to create a countrywide excitement, which paved the way for introducing Bengali medium education later in phases.^[4]

A few educated Bengali scholars opposed the move of establishment of Bangla College on the ground that the Bengali medium students would be considered as less competent in the job market. They also used to make a taunting remark frequently that the scholars' knowledge would be confined within only Bengali and College would generate 'Bangla Moulavis'. In spite of this negative criticism, the Bengali medium education system earned a massive and speedy popularity.^[4]

During the Bangladesh Liberation war in 1971, the Pakistani forces and their non-Bengali Bihari (Muslim immigrants came from Indian state of Bihar) collaborators occupied the college and closed it for the entire period of the war. The signboard of the college was replaced by another signboard inscribed 'Urdu College'. After the independence, the College started its new journey with fresh initiative. The People’s Republic of Bangladesh nationalized this college on 21 February, 1985 (The system of co-education was introduced from the very beginning of this college)^[2] and Honours and Masters courses under the National University of Bangladesh were introduced here in 1997.Since then the college continued it's program offering degrees under National University of Bangladesh till 2016. At present (2017), the college has more than 132 teachers and it offers B.A., B.B.A. and B.Sc. (Honours) degree and master's degree in 12 disciplines under the University of Dhaka. Also the College enrolls 800 students in higher secondary courses per year.^[4]

Notable noble persons who pioneered in the birth of this college at a glance

1. Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah
2. Principal Md. Ibrahim Khan
3. Poet Gholam Mostafa
4. Poet Jasim Uddin
5. Sayed Ali Ahsan
6. Prof. Abul Kasem (Founder Principal)
7. Prof. Hasan Zaman
8. Prof. Muhammad Nurul Haque
9. Prof. Motiur Rahman
10. Poet Shah Mustafizur Rahman
11. Sk. Abu Bakar Siddique
12. Shamsul Huda (Ex. Speaker)
13. Poet Akhter ul Alam
14. Kazi Abul Kayes
15. Mosih Ul Islam
16. Sayed Mostafa Jamal
17. Dr. Muhammad Abdul Aziz
18. Khan Bahadur Abdur Rahman
19. Abul Kalam Shamsuddin (Ex. Editor, The Daily Azad)
20. Abdus Salam (Ex. Editor, The Daily Pakistan Observer)
21. Tofazzol Hossain Manik Mian
22. Principal Md. Abdul Hai
23. Dr. Mohammad Osman Goni (Ex. VC, DU )
24. Dr. Mohammad Innas Ali (Ex. VC, BUET)
25. Abdul Hakim
26. Dr. Mohammad Hossain
27. Principal Dewan Md. Azrof
28. Roy Bahadur Ranada Prosad Saha
29. Gul Mohammad Adamji
30. Sunil Kumar Basu (The Dakeshari Mills)
31. Poet Farrukh Ahmed
32. Poet Mufakkharul Islam
33. Dr. Kazi Motahar Hossain
34. Poet Jahanara Arju
35. Prof. Muhammad Monsur Uddin (Writer)
36. Prof. Shahed Ali (Writer & Journalist) ^[2]

Campus

Govt. Bangla college is situated on the north-west corner of Dhaka Mega city along the western side of Principal Abul Kashem Road (also known as Mirpur Darus-salam Road) on a land of 57 Bigha (16.18 Acre)/ 78311.2 Square Yard, in a din and bustle free natural atmosphere.^[2]

Academic Departments

• 
  Principal Abul Kashem with first year Bangla College student and Faculty, 1962
• 
  Principal Abul Kashem with first year Bangla College student and Faculty, 1962
• 
  Principal Abul Kashem Chatrabash at Bangla College
• 
  Bangla College

References

Coordinates: 23°47′06″N 90°21′12″E / 23.7849°N 90.3533°E / 23.7849; 90.3533

External links

• Student's website : www.banglacollege.com
• Affiliations With Dhaka University News http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2017/02/16/dhaka-college-six-other-govt-colleges-go-under-dhaka-university
• Official website