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PUST will be the ‘Oxford of the North’”Professor Dr. Al-Nakib Chowdhury, Vice-Chancellor, Pabna University of Science and Technology (PUST), opens up to daily sun about his mission and vision regarding the university. The interview was taken by Ashim Kumar Paul
Professor Dr. Al-Nakib Chowdhury
Professor Dr. Al-Nakib Chowdhury
Sun: You have joined the university as the 3rd VC nearly nine-month ago. What kind of challenges have you been facing in running the university?
Dr. Al-Nakib: The challenges a new university faces initially can be divided into two phases: Financial challenge and infrastructural challenge. While the university is being expanded, more than 13 departments are now running their activities and hopefully, 2-3 departments more will be added within few months. However, the infrastructural development of the university already done cannot be regarded as hopeful one. Now we are thinking to develop the existing infrastructural situation within our limited resources. Financial challenge is another major one. The more a new university expands its activities, the more is needed the manpower. Therefore, we need more manpower but here lies the challenge. Although my previous VCs have recruited officials, with times, we need more. But until their recruitments are approved, they cannot be given their wage. Therefore the university has fallen into a dire financial crisis. For me, these two challenges appear an acid test to beat.
Sun: How do you evaluate the university’s present standing?
Dr. Al-Nakib: If I consider the present status of the university, some basic aspects should be reckoned: education and its quality, number of students and teachers, ratio of students and teachers, number and condition of library and laboratory. Naturally, a new university will lag behind an established university since the facilities of laboratory and library like an established university are almost unavailable here. But I am trying my best to upgrade these facilities as soon as possible. We are already trying to bring the entire university under automation. If the entire campus of the university is digitalized, we can enjoy all sorts of facilities across the world simply by sitting here. For instance, it can be possible for our students to listen to the lectures of the professors of MIT or a Nobel Laureate. Therefore, I have taken the task of automation at first. And hopefully, the quality of our students is praiseworthy. Those who are getting admitted here have good academic result. Although our teachers are young, they are really dedicated and trying to elevate the university on the top.
Sun: Once you said to hold the undergraduate admission test of the university at Dhaka but again forsook the idea. Why did you plan it and then why did you withdraw your plan?
Dr. Al-Nakib: Last year, the applicants were around 20000 while we have an intake of around 120 students each year. For this huge number of applicants, arranging accommodation facility for both the students and their guardians stands out a major problem. It is sad to see that many applicants who came to attend admission test had to pass night on street. Especially female students fell into a dire crisis as there was a security issue for them. These experiences left us to consider holding the undergraduate admission test of the university at Dhaka University or BUET. It is because, big universities offer big opportunities for us to learn how to arrange a big admission test. Therefore, if we can ensure transparent and flawless examination system within a large campus, it will also add name and fame to our university. Hence, our teachers did also agree. But our students comprise of more than 50% local ones and they oppose our plan. Also the local authorities of exam centres have ensured us to hold fair and transparent admission test. Besides, the local people and representatives have assured us to fix the accommodation crisis for both the applicants and their guardians. Since we want to hold fair admission test and if it can be done in Pabna, these supports and efforts are really precious and most welcome. In fact, these social and administrative supports helped us withdraw our plan.
Sun: Of late, a talk has been held between University of Bedfordshire, UK and PUST to sign a MoU. What is its progress?
Dr. Al-Nakib: If a university, usually, wants to go to gradation level, it needs to build a relationship with other universities of the developed countries so that our students can enjoy the library and laboratory facilities of those universities and our teachers can avail of PhD facilities. Therefore when I joined PUST, I realized, if our university wants to be a modern and well-facilitated one, we need to have collaboration with the universities of the developed countries. It will facilitate both our students and teachers since they can take higher studies and conduct research. And when they will return to the university, their learning, experiences will be of help for us. I have completed the primary discuss with University of Bedfordshire and the result is very positive. Accordingly, we are planning to sign a MoU with them.
Sun: You have recently attended American Chemical Society Symposium. Will you please share your experience during this visit?
Dr. Al-Nakib: The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. It is the world’s largest scientific society and one of the leading sources of authoritative scientific information. Only a short-listed world famous scientists and Nobel Laureates get invitation to join the symposium. This year ACS invited five renowned scientists from the Asia Pacific region and I was one of them. I delivered my lecture on the agriculture of Bangladesh. My lecture included views on how to make foods safe by using nanotechnology and how chemistry can play to secure our food, how more researches to secure our food can be conducted. More importantly, when I was invited to deliver my lecture, the announcement of ‘Professor Dr. Al-Nakib Chowdhury, belongs to PUST’ made me feel proud because in such a renowned place among the famous scientists, my university’s name is announced. However, following my lectures, the prominent researchers and scientists showed their keen interest about PUST, its students and teachers, curricula, infrastructural development, the laboratory facilities etc. Even they showed further interest to work with our teachers and students. In fact, my joining at the symposium brings the recognition of the research done at PUST, the recognition of the university, the opportunity for our students and teachers to conduct research in future. In a word, I believe, it is a great achievement for us.
Sun: What are the things the government should do now for the betterment of the university?
Dr. Al-Nakib: Bangladesh government has taken initiatives to develop the quality of tertiary education. In doing so, the Ministry of Education, with the assistance of the World Bank, has undertaken a Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP). The project aims at improving the quality of teaching-learning and research capabilities of the tertiary education institutions through encouraging both innovation and accountability and by enhancing the technical and institutional capacity of the higher education sector. The University Grants Commission of Bangladesh is the implementing agency of the project. It is a good news that many universities across the country are now enjoying the world class library and laboratory facilities. If every university would get the opportunity, the vision and purpose of the government to change the academic arena along with making a digital Bangladesh would be implemented. However, the facilities have started and spread out. I believe, if the fund from WB unremittingly flows, our dreams will be fulfilled.
Sun: Every graduated and degree holder student under the universities eagerly waits for convocation program. Already first batch of the university has passed out and few days ago, the Rag Day of second batch was celebrated. What is your initiative to hold the convocation programme at the university?
Dr. Al-Nakib: I also want Convocation to be held. Although now thirteen departments are continuing their activities, only four departments of first batch have been graduated. Since Convocation is a big arrangement where generally honourable Chancellor and other respectable guests are present, I want that more students join the Convocation. Besides, I want to award our meritorious students who will be award by our honourable Chancellor. Therefore, I have talked to the Education minister regarding the issue and he assured me to take it seriously. I hope, our Convocation program will be held in the near future.
Sun: Many students come from different corners across the country and they face the accommodation problems. What are the initiatives to address the problems?
Dr. Al-Nakib: Already two residential halls are under construction: One for male students and another for female ones and the construction process is given to the Education Engineering Department (EED). According to EED, it will take more a year to complete the construction. Although the process is not in our hands, I personally look over the matter to complete. Hopefully, before June 2015, we can get the two halls. Meanwhile, the entire campus is facilitated with electricity which was absent from the inception.
Sun: What is your call to the students of PUST?
Dr. Al-Nakib: I advice my students to be dreamers. Those who don’t dream can’t achieve much success in life. And those who are graduating out should be mindful of paying back their debt to the society, because they have received an education on taxpayers’ money, irrespective of rich and poor. The society and the people have expectation from you; you must not let them down under any circumstances. And finally I would call upon the students to love the country and serve it in the light of education you received.
Sun: As the VC of the university, what are your future plans to keep the university ahead?
Dr. Al-Nakib: As I am promise-bound to ensure modern and globally quality education, I want to turn this university into a modern, ideal and proper educational institution. That’s why we need very expert and experienced teachers alongside quality and appropriate laboratory. I have suggested my teachers to keep a close contact with the senior and notable professors of the renowned universities so that their teaching methods and research procedures can be of help. At the same time, we need smart and qualified officers who will run and maintain office smartly and will plan for running a big family like this university. I am sending my officers to training and they are being trained. I have suggested my officers to take more professional degrees. In this way, I am trying to turn my people into skilled manpower and materialize the ultimate aim of the university. Along, help from the all walks of the society is also needed. Therefore, I am trying to build a social relationship by employing my university people so that more resources can be collected and added to our limited one. While it is true that we will run our university from the endowment of our government, we have to consider government’s limitation. In this poor country, our honorable Prime Minister has established twelve science and technology universities that will generate more educated generations, more skilled technologists. As the VC of this university, I believe, what our honorable premier has endowed should be utilized in its fullest level. If we can utilize this vision, then a worthy university will be here. At the time of my joining here, I have dreamt that PUST will be the ‘Oxford of the North’. I am advancing with this vision. I seek your support in this regard. Besides, I wish the name and fame of this university is expanded around the world so that my students can feel proud by uttering the name of the university.
Sun: Anything else that I did not ask?
Dr. Al-Nakib: After my joining at PUST, I have initiated to make the university a modern one. In this regard, a project namely ‘Sheikh Rasel Center of Excellence for Advance Research’ has been taken. If the project can successfully be completed, the institute will be only one center in the country where renowned professors around the world will come, research and deliver
lectures. As a result, both our teachers and students will be immensely benefitted.

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