Dhaka College

The East India Company and British rule were closely related to the spread of modern education in the subcontinent. During the Company rule, the rulers established the Calcutta Madrasah (now Aliah University) in 1780 and the Sanskrit College in Varanasi in 1791 for the Indians, and the Fort William College in 1800 for the employees of the East India Company.

But through the 'Charter Act 1813', the East 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 (now Presidency University) was established in 1817.

After that, almost two decades passed in various debates 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 India Lord 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 to Lord Bentinck, recommended to establish schools in major cities under the Bengal Presidency to teach English literature and science. They also recommended to allocate money from the government fund for establishing such schools wherever possible and to start the program from Dhaka and Patna.

The proposal was approved on June 24, 1835. The first government school in the whole of Bengal was established in Dhaka on July 15, 1835 by Dr. James Taylor Wise, Civil Surgeon of Dhaka, in a hired house of East India Company. The school was known as 'Dhaka English Seminary'. A local Committee of Public Instruction was formed by Dr. Wise with the help of District Magistrate Mr. Grant to conduct the administrative and academic affairs of the school. The school building was built partly out of public donations on the grounds of an English factory. With this school, Dhaka became an important center for the spread of modern education. The school created an unprecedented impact on the socio-economic arena of Dhaka city. Learners of this region were introduced to the western modern art, science and philosophy of the west for the first time.

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 (now Presidency University) teacher J. Ireland was appointed the first Principal.

Dhaka College in 1904 (located at Dhaka Collegiate School premise). Photographer: Fritz Kapp. Source: British Library.

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 (now Dhaka Collegiate School) building. The local 'Public Education Committee' bought the land for the college building. Colonel Garstin designed the building. On November 20, 1841, Reverend Daniel, 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 both Muslim and Hindu students, as well as a number of foreign students, mainly from Armenia and Portugal. Since its inception, Dhaka College has been an important educational institution in Bangladesh for leading the cultural, social and intellectual activities of East Bengal.

It was renamed as Dacca College in 1846.

In 1854, due to 'Education Dispatch' of Sir 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 in Calcutta Medical College, the only medical college in the subcontinent that time.

After the establishment of Calcutta 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 named Deenanath Sen.

In 1873, the College was relocated to a spacious building to the east of Victoria 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 in East Bengal by providing higher education in philosophy, history, literature, mathematics, law and science - which continued until the establishment of Dhaka University in 1921.

First modern designed student hall of Dhaka College (1908), now known as Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah Hall of University of Dhaka

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 of Curzon Hall. At a government meeting on May 27, 1904, it was decided to build a modern dormitory for Dhaka College. In 1908, construction of Curzon Hall was completed and Dhaka College was shifted to Curzon Hall and some adhering buildings at Ramna area after the partition of Bengal. The road on the east of Curzon Hall was named as College Road when Dhaka College was here. In March 1908, the construction of Dhaka Hall (now Shahidullah 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 (now Shahidullah Hall) for students and four residential buildings for professors.

With the beginning of the World 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 named Dacca 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 (now BUET) campus. Only the remaining BA, BSc, MA and MSc classes were accommodated in Curzon Hall.

On July 1, 1921, the University 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 (now BUET) building was made the student hostel of the college. The Engineering School (now BUET) was moved to Secretariat building. In 1943, the High Court College building had to be vacated to rehabilitate the wounded soldiers of World War II. The armed forced occupied the building and used it as a tent. Then the college was shifted temporarily to Islamic Intermediate College (now Kabi 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 to Fulbaria 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 at Dhanmondi 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 named Dhaka College.

During the Ershad period, the college had to relinquish about 6 acres of land. At present, the college is situated on a land of 18.57 acres.

The Intermediate courses were discontinued in 1996 and reopened in 2010.

Dhaka College offers two years of Higher Secondary, four years of Honours and one year of Master's courses in various disciplines.[7]

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  Akhtarujjaman Elias Hall, Dhaka College
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  "Shongkhocil Bus" of Dhaka College
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  Cafeteria of Dhaka College

• Official Website
• Dhaka College Alumni Category