DU Sada Dal protests against State Minister Bobby Hajjaj’s remark

The pro-BNP teachers’ body at Dhaka University, known as the Sada Dal, has strongly condemned State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj’s recent remark comparing Dhaka University (DU) to a coaching centre, describing it as “deeply insulting, irresponsible and ignorant”.

In a statement issued on Friday (29 May), the organisation demanded the immediate withdrawal of the comment and warned of tougher programmes if the remark was not retracted.

The Sada Dal leaders said such a statement could not come from “a sane and historically conscious person” and accused the minister of undermining the country’s premier public university.

The statement highlighted DU’s leading role in research and higher education in Bangladesh, noting that the university consistently ranks among the country’s top academic institutions. It said DU operates around 56 specialised research centres and bureaus under its science, arts and social science faculties, while its teachers and students regularly publish internationally recognised research papers indexed in Scopus and Web of Science journals.

The teachers’ body also emphasised Dhaka University’s historic role in the Language Movement of 1952, the 1962 Education Movement, the 1969 mass uprising, the 1971 Liberation War and subsequent democratic movements in the country.

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According to the statement, the university has remained a symbol of Bengali culture, secular values and national identity despite limited budgets and state neglect.

The Sada Dal said the minister’s remarks had insulted the university’s current and former students, teachers and its historic contributions to the nation.

It reiterated its demand for an immediate apology and withdrawal of the statement, warning that teachers and students would be compelled to launch stricter protest programmes to defend the institution’s dignity.