Jagannath University is one of the renowned public universities in Bangladesh. It is situated in Sadarghat, Dhaka. The journey of Jagannath University started with the declaration of Jagannath College as a full-fledged university. Jagannath University started its journey as a university in 2005. By passing the "Jagannath University Act-2005" in the National Parliament of Bangladesh, this institution became a full-fledged university.
History of Jagannath University
If we want to know the history of Jagannath University, we must go back a long time. The former name of Jagannath University is Jagannath College. It was known by this name throughout most of the 20th century. It was founded in 1858 by Dinanath Sen, Prabhaticharan Roy, Anathbandhu Mallick, and BrajasundarKaitra under the name Dhaka Brahmo School. In 1872 its name was changed to Jagannath School. Kishorelal Roy Chowdhury, the zamindar of Baliat in Saturia upazila of Manikganj district named Jagannath School after his father.
It became a second-class college in 1884 and a first-class college in 1908. When Dhaka University was established in 1921, the Bachelor program of Jagannath College was stopped. Degree students of Jagannath College along with teachers, library books, and journals were transferred to Dhaka University.
Co-education was introduced in 1942 to remove barriers to female education in old Dhaka. It was closed in 1948. Later in 1949, the undergraduate/Bachelor course was started again in this college. In 1963 Principal Saidur Rahman re-introduced co-education. It was nationalized in 1968 but privatized again in the following year.
On March 26, 1971, Jagannath College was striked by Pakistani troops. Many students escaped and saved their lives. In the great liberation war of 1971, genocide was carried out in the university premises. Some teachers and students of Jagannath were martyred in the liberation war of 1971. ChatraSangram Parishad declared solidarity with the freedom fighters and participated in the liberation struggle. Pakistani troops camped at Jagannath College. After the war, mass graves were found here. Several trucks full of human skeletons were recovered.
From the year 1982, the area's influential people started occupying the hall of Jagannath College. Clashes between students and local people have been repeated. The Kumartuli hostel was vacated. Then the halls located at 84 GL Perth Lane, Kumartuli were vacated one after the other. In 1992, only 3 out of 14 hostels were under the control of the authorities. The rest were taken over by police and locals. Two of the 03 dormitories (Mahmuda Smriti Bhaban and Ershad Hall) are currently demolished and converted into mosques and arts faculties.
In 2005, the Jagannath University Act-2005 was passed in the National Parliament and it was transformed into a full-fledged university. Currently, there are 38 departments and 02 institutes under a total of 07 faculties. The total area of this university is 07 and a half acres. 20th October is Jagannath University Day.
Vision:
To ensure better academic achievement in Word-Class Higher Education, Research, and Innovation.
Mission:
To achieve equivalency and consistency at the national level in compliance with the fast-growing changes of the advanced world in different sectors of higher education and to develop skilled human resources by creating and expanding opportunities for modern learning practices.
Institute at a glance
Acronym: জবি/JnU
Former name: Jagannath School (1858-1884)
Jagannath College (1884-2005)
Motto: শিক্ষা, ঈমান, শৃঙ্খলা
Motto in English: Education, Faith, Discipline
Type: Public Unuversity
Established: 1858 (as school),
1884(as college),
2005 (as university)
Chancellor: Mohammad Shahabuddin, Honorable President of Bangladesh
Vice Chancellor: Prof.Sadeka Halim, PhD
Registrar: Prof. Dr. Md. Ainul
Treasurer: Professor Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir Chowdhury
Academic Staff: 960+
Administrative Staff: 850+
Students: 19,088+
Location: 9-10, Chittaranjan Avenue, Dhaka 1100
23°42′37″N 90°24′40″E
Campus: Urban, 10+200 acre, 210 acres (85 ha)
Website: jnu.ac.bd
Campus Location
Jagannath University is situated in Dhaka near the Buriganga River. It is located in the southern part of the capital city of Bangladesh. This university has a beautiful campus with a large area of more than 210 acres of land.
List of VC's of Jagannath University
The list of the vice-chancellors of Jagannath University is given below:
1. Prof. Dr. A. K. M. Sirazul Islam Khan (8 February 2005 - 26 July 2008)
2. Prof. Dr. Abu Hossain Siddique (2008 - 2009)
3. Prof. Dr. Mesbah Uddin Ahmed (2009 - 19 March 2013)
4. Prof. Dr. Mijanur Rahman (20 March 2013 - 19 March 2021)
5. Prof. Dr. Kamaluddin Ahmed (acting) (20 March 2021- 31 May 2021)
6. Prof. Dr. Md. Imdadul Hoque (1 June 2021 –29 November 2023)
7. Prof. Dr. Sadeka Halim (30 November 2023 –Incumbent)
Academic Faculty/Institute/Departments
There are 07 faculties, 36 departments, and 02 institutes at Jagannath University.
Faculty of Life and Earth Sciences
There are 08 departments under the Faculty of Life and Earth Sciences.
• Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Department of Microbiology
• Department of Pharmacy
• Department of Zoology
• Department of Botany
• Department of Psychology
• Department of Geography and Environment
• Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
Faculty of Science
There are 05 departments under the Faculty of Sciences.
• Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE)
• Department of Mathematics
• Department of Chemistry
• Department of Physics
• Department of Statistics
Faculty of Business Studies
Faculty of Business Studies conducted 04 departments.
• Department of Finance
• Department of Management Studies
• Department of Marketing
• Department of Accounting and Information Systems
Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Arts directly supervises 06 departments.
• Department of Bengali
• Department of English
• Department of History
• Department of Philosophy
• Department of Islamic History and Culture
• Department of Islamic Studies
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Law supervises 02 departments.
• Department of Law
• Department of Land Management and Law
Faculty of Social Science
There are 08 departments under the Faculty of Social Sciences.
• Department of Sociology
• Department of Anthropology
• Department of Economics
• Department of Political Science
• Department of Public Administration
• Department of Social Work
• Department of Mass Communication and Journalism
• Department of Film and Television
Faculty of Fine Arts
Currently, the management committee of the Faculty of Arts is supervising the Faculty of Fine Arts.
• Department of Fine Arts
• Department of Drama and Dramatics
• Department of Music
Institutes
1. Institute of Education Research
2. Institute of Modern Languages
Institute of Modern Language offers 05 courses in various languages.
1. Certificate Course in English Language
2. Certificate Course in French Language
3. Certificate Course in Chinese Language
4. Certificate Course in Arabic Language
5. Diploma in English Language
Degrees offered by Jagannath University
Faculty of Life and Earth Sciences
• Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Microbiology: B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Pharmacy: B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Zoology: B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Botany: B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D:
• Department of Psychology: B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Geography and Environment: B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology: B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
Faculty of Science
• Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE): B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Mathematics: B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Chemistry: B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Physics: B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Statistics: B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D
Faculty of Business Studies
• Department of Finance: BBA, MBA
• Department of Management Studies: BBA, MBA
• Department of Marketing: BBA, MBA
• Department of Accounting and Information Systems: BBA, MBA
Faculty of Arts
• Department of Bengali: B.A (Hons.), M.A, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of English: B.A (Hons.), M.A, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of History: B.A (Hons.), M.A, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Philosophy: B.A (Hons.), M.A, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Islamic History and Culture: B.A (Hons.), M.A, M.Phil, Ph.D
• Department of Islamic Studies: B.A (Hons.), M.A, M.Phil, Ph.D
Faculty of Law
• Department of Law: LLB, LLM
• Department of Land Management and Law: LLB, LLM
Faculty of Social Science
• Department of Sociology: BSS (Hons.), MSS, M.Phil, PhD
• Department of Anthropology: BSS (Hons.), MSS, M.Phil, PhD
• Department of Economics: BSS (Hons.), MSS, M.Phil, PhD
• Department of Political Science: BSS (Hons.), MSS, M.Phil, PhD
• Department of Public Administration: BSS (Hons.), MSS, M.Phil, PhD
• Department of Social Work: BSS (Hons.), MSS, M.Phil, PhD
• Department of Mass Communication and Journalism: BSS (Hons.), MSS, M.Phil, PhD
• Department of Film and Television: BSS (Hons.), MSS, M.Phil, PhD
Faculty of Fine Arts
• Department of Fine Arts: B.Fa(Hons), MFa
• Department of Drama and Dramatics: B.Fa(Hons), MFa
• Department of Music: B.Fa(Hons), MFa, M.Phil, Ph.D
Residential Halls of Jagannath University
There are a total of 10 halls or hostels as of December 2011 for the accommodation of students; Among them, 1 is for female students. It should be noted that all these halls have been vacant since before the establishment of the university. The halls are:
• Begum Fazilatunnessa Mujib Hall (for female students)
• Dr. Habibur Rahman Hall
• Vani Bhavan Hall
• Abdur Rahman Hall
• Shaheed Anwar Shafiq Hall
• Saidur Rahman Hall
• Rauf Majumdar Hall
• Shaheed Ajmal Hussain Hall
• Bazlur Rahman Hall
• Nazrul Islam Khan Hall
• Shaheed Shahabuddin Hall.
Monuments and sculptures
Muktijoddher Prostuti, a sculpture on the Bangladesh Liberation War, is located at the heart of the campus.
Medical Center
The medical center of Jagannath University was inaugurated by the then Vice-Chancellor Dr. Mizanur Rahman on 17th March 2021. Treasurer Professor Dr. Kamaluddin Ahmad was present as a special guest at the event.
Counseling Centre
Jagannath University has a counseling committee for counseling students on various subjects. A teacher from the psychology department generally hold the position of convener of counseling committee.
Virtual Classroom
To build up a digital university virtual classroom has been established with the financial and technological help of BdREN at Jagannath University. The virtual classroom is an online classroom that allows students and faculty members to communicate with one another, view presentations or videos, and interact with other participants around the world.
Transport
The journey of the university's transport pool begins with 2 microbuses and 4 minibusses available from Jagannath College. At present, there are more than 10 double-decker buses.
Cafeteria
To fulfill the need for fresh and hygienic food for the students on 28th July 2019 the then Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Mizanur Rahman inaugurated the only cafeteria of Jagannath University. The central cafeteria offers fresh, healthy, and hygienic food for teachers and students at a very low cost.
Central playground and gymnasium
The central playground of Jagannath University is located near the university at Dhupkhola. Moreover, playgrounds are being constructed at the new campus.
Library
Jagannath University Central Library is being serviced daily from 08:00 am to 08:00 pm through 09 branches and now it is going to be established as a self-contained modern digital library.
• E-Library Service: The E-Resource service of Central Library started in 2012 and a full-fledged E-Library was established on March 3, 2015. Through this e-library, students, teachers, and researchers are getting the opportunity to use 24 thousand e-books of 08 publishers Pearson, Springer, McGraw Hill, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, SAGE publication, Taylor & Frances, Emerald.
• E-journal service/online journal: Since July 2016, the e-journal/online journal service of 4 reputed publishers such as IEEE, Acm Digital Library, Emerald 194, and JSTOR has been provided to support the research of students, teachers, and researchers. Where there are millions of online journals.
• Reference Services: The reference wing under the Central Library is providing daily newspapers, magazines, journals, encyclopedias, and other archival materials to the students, teachers, and researchers.
• Preserve Newspaper Service: Since October 2013, 4 daily newspapers of the Central Library have been permanently preserved. From May 2016, 3 dailies have been increased and a total of 7 dailies are being maintained permanently through which services are being provided to students, teachers, and researchers.
• Liberation War Corner: The Liberation War Corner Service has been launched in Jagannath University Central Library to spread the spirit of the Liberation War among the young generation. Liberation war-related books, liberation war historical documents, liberation war-related magazines and journals, etc. services are provided through this branch. As of September 2017, the number of books collected by Liberation Corner is about 1400.
• Current Awareness Services: Through this branch, the list of books, newspapers, journals, magazines, and other reference materials collected in Jagannath University Central Library is sent to each department and university website in the first week of every month to inform teachers, researchers, and students. As a result, all students, teachers, and researchers became interested in using the library and got new information services.
• Teachers' Book Exchange Service: Books for teachers and researchers are exchanged through this branch.
• Clearance Service: Through this branch, students, teachers, and staff are provided with clearances related to library dues.
• Reading Service: Through 5 (five) reading rooms in this branch, students, teachers, and researchers are given the opportunity to use reading materials in a fair and pleasant environment.
• Catalog Searching Service: Through this, students, teachers, and researchers can find their desired books, periodicals, etc. very quickly.
There are also other services for students, teachers, and researchers. Students, teachers, and researchers use the library as a supporting medium for all their information and research.
JnU Journals
Jagannath University publishes different types of journals on various topics. The students and others, who want to seek knowledge can enrich their depth of knowledge through these journals. The journals that are published by Jagannath University are given below:
• Journal of Science
• Journal of Arts
• Journal of Life and Earth Sciences
• Journal of Social Science
• Journal of Law
• Journal of Business Studies
• Jagannath University Journal of Psychology
• Jagannath University Journal of CSE
• Jagannath University Journal of Economics
Physical Education Center
A Central Sports Committee has been formed to manage and manage the sports of Jagannath University students. Through the sports committee, various types of sports including inter-departmental football competitions, inter-departmental cricket competitions, inter-departmental volleyball competitions, and inter-departmental athletics competitions are being organized regularly.
• Regularly participating in various inter-university football competitions, inter-university cricket competitions, and inter-university indoor games competitions held by various public and private universities of Bangladesh with the support of a sports committee and under the overall supervision of a physical education center.
• An annual sports competition is organized every year.
• Recently Jagannath University initiative successfully organized an inter-university indoor games competition.
Organizations
• Jagannath University Film Society – JNUFS
• Jagannath University Journalism Association – JNUJA
• Udichi
• BNCC
• Bangladesh Chhatra League
• Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Sena
• Bangladesh Nationalist Chhatra Dal
• Socialist Student Front
• Bangladesh Islamic Student Camp
• Bangladesh Students Union
• Bangladesh Chhatra Majlish
• Jagannath University Journalists Association (June 20, 2006)
• Jagannath University Film Society - Jobs (2009)
• Jagannath University Press Club (October 1, 2014)
• Jagannath University Reporters Unity (23 November 2017)
• Jagannath University Recitation Council
• Jagannath University Debating Society (JNUDS)
• Jagannath University Cultural Centre
• Badhon
• Consumer Youth Jagannath University
• Jagannath University Rover Scout Group
• Prothom Alo Bandhu Sabha
• Career Club
• Film Club
Notable students
• Tajuddin Ahmed, the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh
• Rafiquddin Ahmad, language martyr
• Dinesh Chandra Sen, Mymensingh lyricist
• Yogesh Chandra Ghosh, renowned Ayurveda Shastra scholar and educationist
• Matiur Rahman Mallick poet, writer.
• Anisuzzaman, educationist, researcher
• Mankumar Bose Tagore, Martyr of the Naval Mutiny against the British
• Shaukat Ali (politician), leader of the language movement
• Bhanu Banerjee, Indian actor
• Syed Shamsul Haque, literary personality
• Brajen Das, the first Indian swimmer to cross the English Channel
• Premendra Mitra, Bengali poet, short story writer, novelist and filmmaker
• Sufi Motahar Hossain, poet
• Abdul Hamid, sports organizer and sports journalist
• Bhavatosh Dutta, Economist
• AKM Abdur Rauf, painter, freedom fighter
• ATM Shamsuzzaman, actor
• Imdadul Haque Milan, Writer, Editor
• Jewel Eich, Magician
• Praveer Mitra, actor
• Mir Sabbir, actor
• Fakir Alamgir, freedom fighter, music artist
• Shaheed Saber, intellectual, poet-fiction writer and journalist
• Abdul Halim Chowdhury Jewel, Bir Bikram
• M Hamidullah Khan, Vir Prateek
• Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Bir Vikram
• Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni
• Revolutionary Sunil Das
• Mohammad Nasim, former Minister of Health
• Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Home Minister
• Kazi Aref Ahmed, Intelligence Chief of Mujib's forces
• AR Yusuf, Bar-at-Law, Former Minister
Notable Teachers
• Mamtazuddin Ahmad, Department of Bengali (Pioneer of Drama Movement)
• Munir Chowdhury, Department of Bengali (Martyr Intellectual)
• Hasan Hafizur Rahman, Department of Bengali (Poet and Journalist)
• Alauddin Al Azad, Department of Bengali (Novelist)
• Shaukat Ali, Department of Bengali (Fiction)
• Rajendranath Sen, Bengali Entrepreneur
• Akhtaruzzaman Ilyas, Department of Bengali (Fiction)
• Santosh Chandra Bhattacharya, Department of History (Martyr Intellectual)
• Syed Abdul Hadi, Bengali Department (Musician)
