Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX) is the country’s only public university that specialises in textiles and is meeting the demand of the sector’s job market by leading textile education and supplying skilled engineers.
Production-oriented research, innovation and industrialisation-oriented teaching have set the university apart from the country’s other higher educational institutions.
BUTEX is supplying more than 600 graduates to the textile sector every year to meet the demands of the country’s industries. Many of the students are also becoming successful entrepreneurs after graduating from BUTEX, using their knowledge to further develop the sector and contribute to the national economy.
Students from other universities generally have to wait to find suitable jobs after graduating but there is no need to wait for BUTEX students as they can find jobs at numerous textile and apparel factories around the country soon after graduating.
There is a huge demand for textile engineers in this job market as Bangladesh is one of the largest readymade garments-producing countries in the world and the second-largest apparel-exporting country globally.
BUTEX Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Shah Alimuzzaman recently sat down with The Business Post and talked about the institution’s history, current situation, its contribution to the economy and goals.
He said that many foreigners are working at top posts in the textile sector and a huge amount of money is going abroad as their salaries and allowances. “We want to fulfil the top posts in the industry by producing more skilled human resources from BUTEX, which is one of the best-specialised universities in Asia.”
“I hope that BUTEX students will lead the textile sector not only in Bangladesh but also across the world,” he added.
He said, “Our focus is on bringing changes to the textile sector and its products through research and innovation, aiming to keep the continuation of Bangladesh's success in the world markets while tackling the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
In this regard, Prof Alimuzzaman urged the government to introduce a textile cadre in Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination to attract more students in textile engineering. He also sought the government’s support in modernising the university’s labs.
From weaving school to textile university
“The British School of Weaving” was established in Dhaka’s Narinda in 1921, during the British colonial rule, to provide specialised technical education in the fields of textile by offering artisan-level courses.
Later, in 1935, its name was changed to “East Bengal Textile Institute” and started offering diploma courses in textile technology.
After the end of British rule in the Indian subcontinent, the name of the institute was changed to “East Pakistan Textile Institute” in 1950 after the power of the newly divided East Pakistan state was transferred to the government of Pakistan.
In 1957, the institute was moved from Narinda to its present campus in the Tejgaon Industrial Area and its foundation stone was set by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
After Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, the institute was renamed “Bangladesh Textile Institute.” Afterwards, in 1978, the institute launched a four-year bachelor’s degree programme in textile technology in affiliation with the University of Dhaka and rebranded itself as “The College of Textile Engineering and Technology.”
Considering the importance of the readymade garment industry in the economy, the government rechristened it Bangladesh University of Textile in 2010. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina officially inaugurated the public university on March 15, 2011.
BUTEX launched graduate programmes in textile engineering in July 2011. Currently, the university offers graduate programmes in six different specialised areas to prepare its students for their careers.
BUTEX was established on 11.67 acres of land with large infrastructures, including 86,800 sq ft area for academic and administration buildings, 15 workshops, and 84,000 sq ft area for laboratories.
The government appointed Prof Alimuzzaman as the fourth BUTEX VC in May this year. The three earlier VCs were Prof Dr Nitai Chandra Sutradhar (2010 – 2015), Prof Md Masud Ahmed (2015 – 2019), and Prof Engr Md Abul Kashem (2019 – 2023). All VCs are also former BUTEX students.
Specialised textile university
Bangladesh is one of the leading countries in the textile sector across the world. Data shows that in FY2021-22, export earnings from RMG products rose sharply by 35.47 per cent to $42.61 billion, which was $31.45 billion in the previous fiscal year.
The RMG product exports contributed 81.81 per cent to total exports of $52 billion while the RMG sector employs more than 4.4 million people.
There is a huge demand for textile engineers at the RMG factories and mills and banking on that, textile engineering is gaining popularity among the youths.
BUTEX is the country’s only specialised university among all public universities and offers a full-fledged education in textile engineering.
However, textile engineering education is also available at four other public universities. But they are not full-fledged.
These four institutions with a textile engineering department are Jashore University of Science and Technology, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology, and Khulna University of Engineering and Technology.
Apart from these institutions, there are some textile colleges and a few private universities, including BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology, which also offer textile engineering education. But BUTEX is the only higher education institution that specialises in this category and is the most famous.
100% employment of BUTEX graduates
At present, more than 600 textile engineers are coming out from BUTEX every year. But these graduates of textile education background do not need to wait to get a job as the employment rate is almost 100 per cent in the sector.
“Textile engineering education is gradually gaining popularity as students are getting jobs soon after graduating. The employment rate of the students is also 100 per cent,” said Prof Alimuzzaman.
Besides, many of the textile engineering students are also becoming entrepreneurs after completing their studies, he said.
Referring to his experience of higher studies abroad, Prof Alimuzzaman said, “The quality of our textile education is very good compared to other countries around the world.”
He also expressed hope that in the coming days, Bangladesh will lead in technical textiles in Asia and BUTEX students will lead the textile engineering sector across the world.
Student enrolment
After completion of a Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC), a student can submit his/her application for undergraduate admission if they fulfil the minimum requirements.
The students with the best grades in mathematics, physics, chemistry and English on their HSC examination are allowed to take the admission test.
After the competitive admission test, only about 600 students get selected based on merit and the meritorious students are admitted through tough competition. A candidate is eligible to apply for admission into Level-1, Term-1 of undergraduate studies.
Once upon a time, the institution used to admit only 60 students, but now BUTEX is admitting 600 students every year. Around 12,000 to 15,000 applicants apply for admission to the university each year.
This year, 13,556 students applied to sit for the admission test. Of them, 6,000 students were allowed to take the test against the 600 seats.
Residential facility
There are four halls to provide residential facilities to the regular students. The student halls are Shahid Aziz Hall, MAG Osmani Hall, Nazrul Islam Hall and Sheikh Hasina Hall.
The administrative head in charge of a dormitory is its provost, who is elected from among the institution's faculty and is granted the duty for two years.
Academic programs
At present, a total of 2,546 students are studying in 14 departments under five faculties at BUTEX. Of them, 2,294 are undergraduates and 252 are post-graduate students.
BUTEX has the Department of Fabric Engineering and Department of Yarn Engineering under the Faculty of Textile Engineering; and the Department of Wet Process Engineering, the Department of Dyes and Chemical Engineering, the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering under the Faculty of Textile Chemical Engineering.
The Department of Apparel Engineering and Department of Textile Fashion and Design are under the Faculty of Fashion Design and Apparel Engineering; the Department of Textile Engineering Management, Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, and the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences are under the Faculty of Textile Management and Business Studies.
Also, the Department of Chemistry, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Department of Machinery Design and Maintenance and Department of Physics are under the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
According to University Grants Commission data, BUTEX currently has a total of 140 teachers, putting the teacher-student ratio at 1:18. The university is spending Tk 1.15 lakh per student annually.
The number of publications, including books and journals, is 11,462 at the university’s library.
Club activities
Several student-run organisations or clubs at BUTEX allow their members and participants to engage in co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.
The university administration permits their formation, provides them with the necessary funding and associates a selected portion of them with faculty guidance.
VC Alimuzzaman said, “We encourage students to get involved in extra curriculum activities to help them stay away from the bad activities.”
ARTEX: Born after an initiative taken by the students to beautify their campus, this club focuses on practising several forms of arts and occasionally hosts events where students participate in doing campus-wide graffiti alongside various other arts-based competitions.
Badhon: the BUTEX unit of the Bangladeshi voluntary organisation runs its operation to encourage students in donating blood.
BUTEX Business Club: Created with a business theme, members of this club host business-case-solving events and arrange seminars involving industry leaders and innovators from the corporate world.
BUTEX Debating Club: this club, under its flagship name Bunon, is playing its role of providing a platform for its members to test their mettle in various fields of artistic speech giving and debates. They also often get to represent the institution nationally and internationally.
BUTEX Career Club: this club organises different types of events, such as workshops and job fairs, to help young learners find their future careers by illuminating the path.
Chemical Club: Created by the Faculty of Textile Chemical Engineering, the club closely works with students who show interest in the field of chemistry and help them develop their skills further.
Ekattor: This is a cultural club and it includes a cultural unit, a theatre unit and a photography unit.
BUTEX Environmental Club: This socially active club works to raise awareness about the environment and lessen all forms of pollution, by trying to find out effective solutions for better industrial waste management.
Fashionnovation: This club is centred on creative ideas for fashion. It arranges design competitions and launches assistive courses online.
BUTEX Spinner’s Club: The club is formed by students from the Department of Yarn Engineering and primarily focuses on increasing its collaborative network within the industry.
Apart from these, there are also BUTEX Science Club, BUTEX Shahitto Shongshod, Journalist Society and Film Society.
10 affiliated textile colleges
Moreover, 10 affiliated textile engineering colleges around the country operate under BUTEX at present.
They are Textile Engineering College Chittagong; Pabna Textile Engineering College in Pabna; Textile Engineering College in Begumganj, Noakhali; Sheikh Kamal Textile Engineering College in Jhenaidah; Shahid Abdur Rab Serniabat Textile Engineering College in Barishal; Bangabandhu Textile Engineering College in Kalihati, Tangail; Bangladesh Handloom Education and Training Institute in Narsingdi; Dr MA Wazed Miah Textile Engineering College in Rangpur; Sheikh Rehana Textile Engineering College in Gopalganj; and Sheikh Hasina Textile Engineering College in Jamalpur.
The numbers of students in these 10 affiliated colleges are 3,529 and the numbers of teachers are 186.
