Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology

About

The Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ প্রকৌশল বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়), commonly known by its acronym BUET, was formerly called the East Pakistan University of Engineering and Technology (EPUET). It is a public research university located in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. Founded in 1876 as the Dacca Survey School and gaining university status in 1962, it is the oldest institution for the study of engineering, architecture, and urban planning in the country. BUET is one of the five PhD granting engineering research universities of Bangladesh along with RUET, CUET, KUET, and DUET.

The Dacca Survey School was established in 1876 at Nalgola, west of the present Sir Salimullah Medical College campus in Old Dhaka, by the Government of Bengal during the British Raj. It offered two-year engineering and survey courses toward the Sub-Overseer's examination, which certified land surveyors. According to a report on public instruction in Bengal, on 31 March 1903, Dhaka Survey School had 117 students of which 103 were Hindus and 14 were Muslims. In 1908, the school started to offer three year diploma courses. Nawab Sir Khwaja Ahsanullah, a philanthropist and Nawab of Dhaka, endowed donations for developing the survey school. After his death in 1901, his son, the then Nawab of Dhaka, Sir Khwaja Salimullah released the grant in 1902 in accordance with his late father's wish. As an acknowledgement of this contribution, the school was renamed to Ahsanullah School of Engineering in 1908. The school offered three-year diploma courses in civil engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering in 1908. In 1912, the university was moved to its present premises. In 1938, A. K. Fazlul Huq, the then Prime Minister of Bengal, appointed Hakim Ali as the principal of the school. After the partition of India in 1947, Chief Minister of East Bengal Sir Khawaja Nazimuddin approved the school to be upgraded to Ahsanullah Engineering College, as a faculty of engineering under the University of Dhaka, offering four-year bachelor's course in civil, electrical, mechanical, chemical and metallurgical engineering. In 1948, the government of East Bengal granted recognition to the engineering college. Ali became the first principal of the college. In 1951, TH Mathewman was appointed the next principal. M. A. Rashid succeeded him in 1954 as the first Bengali principal of the college and held the post until 1960. In 1956, a new course curriculum and the semester system were introduced at the college. In 1961, The Engineering and Technological University Ordinance, 1961 (East Pakistan Ordinance) (Ordinance NO. XXXVI OF 1961) was passed to establish a university in Dacca, East Pakistan. On 1 June 1962, in order to create facilities for postgraduate studies and research, the college was upgraded to East Pakistan University of Engineering and Technology (EPUET), becoming the fourth university of the then East Pakistan. Rashid was appointed the first vice-chancellor of the university. A partnership with the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (renamed Texas A&M University) was forged, and professors from A&M came to teach and formulate the curriculum. During this period, EPUET offered courses in mechanical, electrical, civil, metallurgical, and chemical engineering, and architecture. After the liberation war of 1971, and Bangladesh's independence, EPUET was renamed to Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). In 2007, BUET celebrated 60 years (1947–2007) of engineering education in Bangladesh by arranging a 6-month-long series of programs and events. In February 2021, BUET and Chinese multinational technology company Huawei signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish the first ICT Academy in Bangladesh on BUET campus. On 21 June 2021, BUET and Saitama University, Japan signed second renewal of the agreement on academic exchange and the memorandum on student exchange between the two institutions. Saitama University (SU) and BUET have had a long-standing relationship for the past 20 years. In January 2022, BUET was ranked 1st among Bangladeshi and 1589th among global educational institutions in the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.