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ঢাকা কলেজ | |
 Logo of Dhaka College | |
Other name | DC |
|---|---|
Former names |
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| Motto | Know Thyself |
| Type | PublicMen's college |
| Established | 20 November 1841; 183 years ago (1841-11-20) |
Parent institution | Dhaka Central University[1] |
| Accreditation | Dhaka Education Board (HSC) |
| Chancellor | PresidentMohammed Shahabuddin |
| Principal | AKM Elias |
Academic staff | 200+ |
Administrative staff | 150+ |
| Students | 25000+ |
| Address | ,, 1205 ,23°44′07.5″N90°22′59.5″E / 23.735417°N 90.383194°E /23.735417; 90.383194 |
| Campus | City, 18.57 acres (7.52 ha) |
| Colors | |
| Nickname | DCians |
| Website | dhakacollege |
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Dhaka College (Bengali:ঢাকা কলেজ), informally known asDC, is a public educational institution ofBangladesh located in thearea of New Market,Dhaka.[2][3] Established in 1841, it is one of the oldest educational institutions in the subcontinent.[4] It offershonours andmaster's programs.[5][6] It also has higher secondary certificate (HSC). It was affiliated with theUniversity of Dhaka from February 2017 to January 2025.[7][8]
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TheEast India Company andBritish rule were closely related to the spread of modern education in the subcontinent. In 1780, during theCompany rule, the rulers established the Calcutta Madrasah (nowAliah University), and 1791, they established theSanskrit College inVaranasi for Indians, and theFort William College in 1800 for the employees of theEast India Company.
Following the passage of the 'Charter Act 1813', theEast India Company was instructed by the British government to focus on the education of Indians. The act was the foundation of modern Indian education. Hindu College (nowPresidency University) was established in 1817.
Various debates were held about the means and methods of spreading education in India. In 1835, a member of the British Parliament,Lord Macaulay, proposed in the 'Minute on Education' that India's education should be in the English language and in the light of European knowledge. As a result, the Governor General of IndiaLord Bentinck gave the 'English Education Act' effect. The 'General Committee of Public Instruction'. the then government agency responsible for the country's education system, in a report submitted on 20 April 1835 toLord Bentinck, recommended to establish schools in major cities under theBengal Presidency to teachEnglish literature and science. They also recommended to allocate money from the government fund for establishing such schools wherever possible and to start the program fromDhaka andPatna.
Later,Lord Auckland, the Governor General of India, presented his famous Minute on Education in 1839, following which the General Committee of Public Instruction proposed the establishment of a college in Dhaka to the Governor General in 1840. The proposal was approved on July 18, 1841. On November 20, 1841,Dacca Central College was established.Cambridge University student and Hindu College (nowPresidency University) teacher J. Ireland was appointed the first Principal.
Dhaka College, one of the main educational institutions of the subcontinent, started its journey with 3 rooms on the second floor of the English Seminary School (nowDhaka Collegiate School) building. The local 'Public Education Committee' bought the land for the college building.Colonel Garstin designed the building. On November 20, 1841,Daniel Wilson, Bishop of Calcutta, laid the foundation stone of the college at Sadarghat. The construction of the building was completed in 1844 and on May 25, 1844, the students started their education in the new building. In the first graduating class there were bothMuslim andHindu students, as well as a number of foreign students, mainly fromArmenia andPortugal. Since its inception, Dhaka College has been an important educational institution inBangladesh for leading the cultural, social and intellectual activities ofEast Bengal.
It was renamed asDacca College in 1846.
In 1854, due to 'Education Dispatch' ofSir Charles Wood, discipline and coordination was established in Indian modern education. Due to the new educational policy, since 1854 the meritorious students of Dhaka College got the opportunity to study medicine inCalcutta Medical College, the only medical college in the subcontinent that time.
After the establishment ofCalcutta University in 1857, Dhaka College was affiliated to it. In the first year, 4 students were sent from Dhaka College to appear in the BA examination, although one student appeared in the examination namedDeenanath Sen [bn].
In 1873, the college was relocated to a spacious building to the east ofVictoria Park to accommodate the increased number of students and the physics and chemistry laboratories. In 1875, a separate science building was established and science classes were opened in Dhaka College. Dhaka College became the heart of modern education inEast Bengal by providing higher education in philosophy, history, literature, mathematics, law and science - which continued until the establishment ofDhaka University in 1921.
However, there was no dormitory in Dhaka College until 1880. Though a dormitory was built in 1874, it did not last long. Subsequently, the first dormitory named Rajchandra Hindu Student Hostel was constructed at Shridas Lane,Bangla Bazar for Dhaka College in 1880 with a completely private grant subject to the permission of the government.
In 1903 new infrastructure plans were made for Dhaka College and in 1904 land was acquired and construction work started. On February 19, 1904,Lord Curzon inaugurated the construction ofCurzon Hall. At a government meeting on May 27, 1904, it was decided to build a modern dormitory for Dhaka College. In 1908, construction ofCurzon Hall was completed and Dhaka College was shifted toCurzon Hall and some adhering buildings atRamna area after thepartition of Bengal. The road on the east ofCurzon Hall was named as College Road when Dhaka College was here. In March 1908, the construction of Dhaka Hall (nowShahidullah Hall) was completed. Dhaka College transformed into a full-fledged residential college here in a beautiful natural setting with a separate science building, Dhaka Hall (nowShahidullah Hall) for students and four residential buildings for professors.
With the beginning of theWorld War I in 1914, its adverse impact on Dhaka College resulted in declination of academic activities and other development works. Even, there were chances of the college buildings being taken over by the military. In July 1920, another college namedDacca Intermediate College was founded comprising the intermediate classes of Dhaka College for strategical reasons. On August 20, 1920, the new college was moved to the then Engineering School (nowBUET) campus. Only the remaining BA, BSc, MA and MSc classes were accommodated inCurzon Hall.
On July 1, 1921, theUniversity of Dhaka was established. Dhaka College has a glorious contribution and sacrifice for the establishment of the University of Dhaka. A section of Dhaka College was merged with the newly created university. In fact, all the movable and immovable properties of Dhaka College, students, teachers, staffs, employees, books, library, science rooms and various buildings were brought under the university so that the university could start its academic activities on July 15, 1921. A large amount of college land and campus, hostels and other infrastructures, scientific equipment and various scholarships allotted to meritorious students were also handed over to the university.
On the other hand, Dhaka College was shifted to the Residence of Lieutenant Governor (Old High Court Building) and the Engineering School (nowBUET) building was made the student hostel of the college. The Engineering School (nowBUET) was moved toSecretariat building. In 1943, the High Court College building had to be vacated to rehabilitate the wounded soldiers ofWorld War II. The armed forced occupied the building and used it as a tent. Then the college was shifted temporarily to Islamic Intermediate College (nowKabi Nazrul Govt. College) located in Luxmibazar. Shortly afterwards, the official and academic activities of the college were conducted in a rusty old private building of late Khan Bahadur Abdul Hai located in Siddiq Bazar, adjacent toFulbaria Station. Apart from this, a few houses were rented and used as college hostel.
In 1955, the journey of Dhaka College was started anew with new infrastructures in the present campus atNew Market area with a land area of 24 acres. In 1972, undergraduate courses on some subjects were reopened.
In 1982, the English spelling of the city was officially changed from Dacca to Dhaka. As a consequence the college was namedDhaka College.[citation needed]
During theErshad period [bn], the college had to relinquish about 6 acres of land.[according to whom?] At present, the college is situated on 18.57 acres.
| University | From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Calcutta | July 18, 1857 | July 1, 1921 | [9] |
| University of Dhaka | July 1, 1921 | October 20, 1992 | |
| National University, Bangladesh | October 21, 1992 | February 15, 2017 | |
| University of Dhaka | February 16, 2017 | January 27, 2025 | [10][11] |
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Dhaka College offers two years of Higher Secondary, four years of Honours and one year of Master's courses in various disciplines.[12]
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Dhaka College Psychology Society was established on 13 May 2024. This society was founded by Md Imon Hossain, Md Akram Hossain, Md Shafimur Rahman, Shipon Kumar Kundu and Naqeebul Khalek Naqeb to make a platform from where students can get mental health support and everything they need for their personal development, like research skills, public speaking, CV writing, abroad study guideline, academic help, personal and career consultant, training on personal development, etc. This society is guided by the teachers of the psychology department, Dhaka College.
The activities of the corps first started in Dhaka College under theIndian Territorial Force Act 1920. On March 23, 1979, the then UOTC, BCC and JCC together started the journey under the name ofBangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC). Bravo Company of 1-BNCC Battalion under Ramna Regiment is headquartered at Dhaka College Platoon. Now, Dhaka College Platoon is in Alpha Company, 1 BNCC Battalion. Cadets are preliminarily selected through written test, physical test and interview and other co-curricular activities from among intermediate and honours students following cadet admission policy every year. Then, the Adjutant of 1-BNCC Battalion himself selects the qualified and smart cadets from among the initially selected ones. Selected cadets receive regular weekly training. This training is attended by platoon captains, other PUOs, military instructors and senior cadets. The Principal and Vice-Principal of the college directly supervise the weekly training program and give orders, advice, guidance and encouragement to make the program more dynamic and accelerated. Dhaka College BNCC group became the best during National Education Week in 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023.
Dhaka College Rover Scout Group was reorganized in 1972 after theLiberation War. Then the unit number was 5. This co-educational program continues till date. At present, there are 130 rover squires, 60 in member stage, 20 in training stage and 12 in service stage.
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The library of Dhaka College was established in 1841, the same year the college was founded. With the increase in the number of students and the introduction of new programs, the development of physical infrastructure became essential. In 1876, Acting Principal A. Eubiasc mentioned in a letter to the government that the college needed new classrooms, a library, a hall room, a chemical laboratory, and a large room for physical sciences. In 1904, "Curzon Hall" was constructed with funding from the prince of Bhawal, which was used as a library. In 1908, Dhaka Law College was relocated to Curzon Hall. From 1908 to 1921, the library's collection grew to around 8,000 books.[13]
In 2013–14, with the assistance of Dhaka College alumnus Md. Mozammel Haque Bhuiyan, a modern library named ‘Maruf-Sharmin Smriti Library’ was established. However, the library has not seen any development over time. Despite an increase in the number of students, the seating capacity and other facilities have not been expanded.[14] The current college library houses 50,000 books, along with a well-furnished reading room. The library provides academic support to over 200 students every day. Dhaka College Central Library's librarian, Parimal Kumar Biswas, mentioned that students can study in the library from 8 AM to 4 PM, five days a week.[15][16]
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Academic buildings
Media related toDhaka College at Wikimedia Commons