Chittagong University turns 60: A journey from four departments to Bangladesh’s largest campus

Chittagong University (CU), the country’s largest higher education institution by area, has stepped into its 60th year today, 18 November. Nestled amid the hills of Jobra village in Hathazari, 22 kilometres from Chittagong city, the sprawling green campus completed 59 springs and continues to be one of the most picturesque seats of learning in Bangladesh.

The university was established on 18 November 1966, five years before the country’s independence. It is the only university in Asia that operates its own shuttle train service – an iconic daily lifeline for thousands of students, though the trains have grown increasingly crowded as enrolment has soared.

From a modest beginning with just four departments, seven teachers and around 200 students, CU has grown into a giant academic institution. It now houses nine faculties, 48 departments, six institutes, more than 1,000 faculty members, nearly 28,000 students, 14 residential halls and one hostel.

The campus has nurtured generations of luminaries. Nobel laureate Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus – currently Chief Adviser of the interim government – is a former faculty member of its Economics Department. Renowned physicist Prof Dr Jamal Nazrul Islam, sociologist Prof Dr Anupam Sen, literary giants Prof Dr Anisuzzaman, Prof Abul Fazl, Syed Ali Ahsan, Alauddin Al Azad, artist Murtaza Bashir, sculptor Dhali Al Mamun and many others have walked these hills and illuminated the nation with knowledge.

Current teachers continue to earn global recognition. Dr Md Shahadat Hossain and Manzurul Kibria have been honoured for fish research and protecting the Halda River spawning ground. Dr Sheikh Aftab Uddin invented a low-cost method to make seawater drinkable. Dr Al Amin’s book is used as a reference text in six top American universities, while Prof Dr Saidur Rahman Chowdhury mapped the Bay of Bengal.

Students, too, have made the university proud. Former student Sajid Ali Howlader became the youngest scientist to discover a new frog species, and CSE student Shakhawat Hasan and his team gained worldwide fame for their innovations.

CU alumni occupy top positions across the country – Bangladesh Bank Governor, Chief Secretary, city mayors, cabinet secretaries, secretaries and additional secretaries in various ministries.

The university has always played a leading role in the nation’s critical moments: the 1969 mass uprising, the 1971 Liberation War (where 15 CU members were martyred), the 1990 anti-autocracy movement, and the 2024 student-people uprising (martyrs Hridoy Tarua and Farhad Hossain).

The first Vice-Chancellor was Prof Dr Azizur Rahman Mallik. The current, 20th Vice-Chancellor is Prof Dr Muhammad Yahia Akhtar.

Today, the 60th University Day is being celebrated with a colourful procession, cake-cutting ceremony and discussion meeting – marking six decades of academic excellence, research, and unwavering commitment to the country’s struggles.