Mymensingh
Stop commercialisation of education: President
Nazrul understood communalism biggest problem, he says
UNB
President Abdul Hamid yesterday stressed the need for stopping the commercialisation of education in the country since it hampers its quality, reports UNB.
Commercialisation of education hampers its quality. Many times, it impedes the flourishing of students merit. Thats why commercialisation of education must be stopped, he said.
The President was addressing the first convocation of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University (JKKNIU) on its campus in Trishal.
He said higher education has significantly expanded in both the countrys public and private sectors, but the expected standard of education is yet to be achieved at all levels of universities.
Noting that the world is more competitive now than anytime before, he said that is why the students must be established themselves as international standard ones.
Hamid said a university is a place of exercising knowledge in multidimensional ways, so the universities must ensure facilities so that every student can learn about contemporary affairs apart from their regular curricula.
Recalling the contributions of National Poet Nazrul Islam, the President said Nazrul was a poet of lyrics and revolution and hoped that the Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University will not only spread his creative works to one generation to another generation, but also pave the way to pay actual homage to the great poet of Bangla literature.
Although JKKNIU is a public university, Hamid said, it should conduct research on overall literature works of Nazrul, including poetry, lyrics and dramas.
Hamid, also JKKNIU Chancellor, said students are being admitted to the University for higher education.
These days, he said, tourists and researchers are coming to it from different countries, but the days are not far away when Trishal, a memorable place of Nazrul, will be familiar across the world as a holy place of poetry like the birthplaces of British playwright Shakespeare and Persian poets Hafiz and Sheikh Saadi.
The President stressed the need for signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between JKKNIU and Kabi Kazi Nazrul University of West Bengal to create a way for the teachers and students of both the universities to jointly conduct research.
About the sense of humanity of the rebel poet, the President said Nazrul was strongly vocal against imperialism, colonialism, feudalism, fanaticism, communalism and repression.
No non-communal and humanitarian poet like Nazrul emerged in the history of Bangla literature in the last thousand years, he said, adding that Nazrul was the only litterateur who understood that communalism is the biggest problem of the Indian subcontinent.
The aim of his creatures was to break this manmade artificial wall. So, he (Nazrul) always struggled against communalism, Hamid said.
The President said the revolutionary write-ups of Nazrul, a poet of equity and non-communal spirit, jolted the foundation of the British ruler while his poems and songs also encouraged people during the 1952 Language Movement, Liberation War 1971 and other democratic movements here.
Calling upon the newly graduates to follow the spirit of the national poet, the President said he strongly believed that new generation of the country will enrich themselves by practicing Nazruls works and contribute towards building a happy and prosperous Sonar Bangla.
He said achieving a certificate will be the recognition of a students educational qualification, but it would not be the main objective of education.
At the beginning of his speech, President Hamid paid tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the martyrs who made their supreme sacrifice in the 1971 Liberation War, the language movement heroes and other democratic movements.
Professor Emeritus Dr Rafiqul Islam addressed the event as the convocation speaker.
Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof Abdul Mannan and JKKNIU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mohit Ul Alam were, among others, present on the occasion.
