Home ›› 11 Feb 2022 ›› Opinion
Daffodil International University started its journey on January 24, 2002. After twenty years of establishment, the university is now attended by about 20,000 local and foreign students. In just a few years, Daffodil International University surprised everyone by becoming one of the best private universities in Bangladesh. In the international arena, too, the reputation of Daffodil International University has spread significantly.
Founded by the country’s renowned IT Personality and visionary leader Dr. Md. Sabur Khan and guided by the founding Vice-Chancellor late Professor Dr. Aminul Islam, university’s involvement in technology-based activities from the very beginning and the perseverance in creating young entrepreneurs have enabled the university to become one of the best educational institutions today. Through the introduction of the ‘Blended Learning’ and ‘Go Edu’ education system, the university has already become a role model in online education in Bangladesh.
The French philosopher Rousseau said, “The University will be in a secluded place away from the city, where there will be no noise, the environment will be free, the students will grow up in the lap of wonderful nature and nature will be their teacher.” The campus of DIU follows the same pattern.
Daffodil University’s Green Campus is situated at Daffodil Smart City in Ashulia, surrounded by shady, bird-chirping, sun-drenched peaceful green surroundings near Dhaka on sixty acres of land. The green campus will easily attract anyone who is a nature lover. In addition to education, students regularly explore and enjoy the university’s focal point of natural beauty – like Knowledge Valley, Banmaya, Food Court, Fountain, Aircraft, Green Garden, Gymnasium, Swimming Pool, Innovation Lab, and Golf Course. Hangout continues everywhere besides studying. And for sports lovers, there are international standard cricket grounds, basketball courts, volleyball courts, badminton courts, and indoor complexes. If you don’t see it with your own eyes, it is challenging to express the enormity of the state-of-the-art campus in words.
The university has earned national and international recognition in aesthetics and has earned its reputation as a source of quality education. At the recent Olympic World Congress on Information Technology (WICIT-2021), the university was honoured with the ‘Global ICT Excellence Award’. Through this achievement, the university proved its superiority in online education not only in Bangladesh but also internationally. In QS Asia University Rankings 2021, it ranks 4th among the private universities in Bangladesh. DIU also tops the list in UI Greenmetric World Rankings 2021 and Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings 2020. The university has maintained its position in internationally acclaimed and recognized rankings.
Ensuring the beauty of the campus is essential. Still, quality dining and residential environment are equally crucial for the students to provide a quality learning environment. DIU has world-class hostel facilities and currently has accommodation facilities for about 10,000 students, including a learning-friendly environment, quality food, internet, WiFi, and security. The university has Digital Class Room, Computer Lab, Textile Lab, Physics Lab, Pharmacy Lab, English Language Lab, Fab Lab (Digital Fabrication), JMC Lab, Cisco Lab, Microsoft IT Academy, Linux, Red Hut, Oracle, Multimedia Lab and Innovation Lab.
At the time of the epidemic, the university authorities have provided an incentive of Tk. 22 crore for the students. The university authorities are trying to prevent students from dropping out due to lack of funds. So the university authorities have brought all the students and their guardians under life insurance risk coverage. If a student’s parent dies in an accident, the university authorities are responsible for bearing the rest of his/her education expenses. Similarly, if a student dies prematurely, his family is also provided with one-time financial compensation under an insurance facility which is rare in Bangladesh.
The Career Development Center (CDC) constantly provides employment, internship placement, career grooming up, and field visits to the students by building a good relationship and building bridges between the university and the industry.
For the first time in Bangladesh, an ‘Innovation Lab’ has been set up at Daffodil International University to awaken the innovative talents of the students. The Innovation Lab includes Market Space, Robotic Zone, 3D Printer, IoT based Electric Bulb, Fan, Air Conditioner, Architectural Design Zone, Book Reading Zone, Business Incubator, Meeting Room, Android and Windows TV. Using these facilities, students are able to turn their innovative ideas into reality.
The university has been working relentlessly from the very beginning to take the education system of Bangladesh to an international standard. The university has signed agreements with more than 500 reputable universities in the world.
The courtyard of DIU has also become a hotbed of foreign students. Already, more than 400 students from around the world, including the United States, Turkey, Indonesia, South Africa, Nepal, South Korea, Somalia, and Nigeria, are studying in various departments at Daffodil International University.
Journals are being published regularly from different university faculties, and the university has a research division and research fund to motivate the teachers and students to do more research. Daffodil International University has a record of spending the most money on research among private universities in 2021.
DIU believes in deeds, not in words; Students are the pride and soul of the university. DIU graduates are already working in various vital positions in the country and abroad, especially in many multinational companies. DIU graduates are achieving excellent results in the BCS exams and are working at various levels of government. The University’s Alumni Association builds bridges between former and current students. Alumni at home and abroad are connected through the Daffodil Alumni Association Network. As a result, current students get all kinds of benefits from alumni.
Our education system has suffered the most during the pandemic. All educational institutions were closed for more than 18 months. But even in such a crisis, DIU is the only university in the country that was active all the time. The university’s platforms like ‘Blended Learning Center’ and ‘Go-Edu’ are active and teachers-students are already accustomed to it. As a result, the teachers and students of the university are enjoying the maximum benefits of the online platform ‘Blended Learning Center (BLC)’ in these difficult times of the Corona epidemic.
Bangladesh is in the first stage of digital education. The University Grants Commission has already approved the Blended Learning Policy 2021. The next step is online digital education. Bangladesh is yet to make its presence felt in the global online education industry. However, DIU has informed the world about its ability to launch online degrees and has started platform-based education for the first time in tertiary education in Bangladesh.
DIU is interested in launching online degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and has already applied to the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission for permission to offer online degrees. Due to the current global situation, many of our neighbouring countries have now started offering online degrees.
Suppose the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (such as artificial intelligence-based LMS, learning analytics) are effectively integrated into the system. In that case, it could easily become our third-highest source of income after remittances and garments. Hopefully, the country’s planners and policymakers will prioritize research and innovations related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and bring timely changes in education policy so that Bangladesh can emerge as a brand in the global education market.
The writer is Senior Assistant Director of Daffodil International University
