Md. Anowar Habib Kazal
Daffodil International University has proved their Excellence in ICT & e-Education through winning the remarkable achievement of “Global ICT Excellence Award in World Congress IT-2021 (WCIT-2021) globally famous as Olympic of ICT World held in Dhaka from November 11-13 of this month. This is the unique opportunity for any Bangladeshi Institutions. This achievement adds another feather in the crown of its triumphs and achievements. Through this achievement Daffodil International University (DIU) once again proved its strength and uniqueness as a Digital University not only within the country but also worldwide. The recognition has been given by World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), the leading consortium of ICT industry through a Grand Award Giving Ceremony which was held on November 13, 2021 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre and in the presence of delegations of its 85+ member countries around the world.
ICT Experts of 85 member countries nominate different IT organizations and personality for the award and accordingly Bangladesh Computer Samity nominated Daffodil International University considering their best practices of online education and blended learning center. During the Award Giving Ceremony WITSA Chairman YannisSirros mentioned that selection committee for the 2021 Global ICT Excellence Awards reviewed over 100 well-qualified, unique and remarkable award submissions and Daffodil International University won the recognition competing with the rest. The WITSA Awards recognize the entities that made the most significant contributions to mankind in 2021, said a statement of the consortium.
The recognition has been resulted for DIU’s digitization and automation effort, for ensuring uninterrupted academic services through innovative e-education services and keeping significant effort in ensuring lifelong learning services which truly made an example and brought an honor for the country too. DIU extends its heart-felt gratitude to entire DIU Family members for their effort in e-Education and ensuring Academic Excellence. DIU Also extendedits heartfelt gratitude to Education Ministry, UGC, BCS, WITSA, Industry Leaders, for the support, cooperation and guidance which brought this honor for the university.
This success didn’t came over night. It came by the dint of tireless effort of high officials, teachers, students and IT experts. Since its inception the founder and chairman of Board of Trustees of the university Dr. Md. Sabur Khan dreamt a Digital University with world class environment enriched green campus. He is also one of the best 10 IT experts, innovative and visionary leaders of the country. From the student life with his visionary wisdom he felt from the core of his heart that one day Information Technology would be the thrust sector of the country. So, defying all the attractive and lucrative government and private job offers, he started computer and IT business in 1990 through flagship company Daffodil Computers which is now country’s leading ICT Conglomerate. The next history is more or less well known to all. Dr. Khan was the former President of Bangladesh Computer Samity, an active policy maker of BASIS, an active member of Government’s ICT Task Force. Being associated with all these organizations, he had to join many international programs and events and had to travel lots of countries from where he gathered vast knowledge.
He brought all the good things and ideas in his collection whatever he got in anywhere during his travel and tried to implement and introduce it in his organizations.
Basically, the wave of ICT hit in globally at the beginning of 90’s decade and that wave also hit on Bangladesh too. But, due to ignorance of the then government, we failed to get the connectivity of Sub Marine Cable-the connectivity of Optical Fibre, the information super high way which leg behind us from the global advancement of ICT. In 1996 Bangladesh Awami League under the dynamic leadership of today’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to the power for the first time. With her wisdom and vision she realized that ICT would be the weapon of development of the country and she waived all Taxes from IT and computer accessories for exploring IT in the country. As a result the use of Computer and IT explored in the country and increased remarkably. People gradually became habituated with ICT and ICT practice gained momentum in Bangladesh.
The election manifesto of 2008, laid the foundation for Digital Bangladesh and defined goals for 2021. The election manifesto of 2014, takes the Digital Bangladesh much forward and defines goals for a developed Bangladesh by 2050, in the words of the honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, “Now we are looking beyond 2021, extending our view to the year 2050, when Bangladesh will be recognized as a well civilized and developed country with all its acquired virtues”.Mr. SajeebWajed, the ICT Adviser to the Honourable Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, has played an instrumental role in introducing and implementing the concept of ‘Digital Bangladesh’ which seeks to transform the country into a technologically advanced nation by the year 2021. The policies taken by him as the Prime Minister’s ICT Advisor opened a new horizon of ICT usage in Bangladesh as the country continues to advance towards building an innovative Bangladesh and improve rapidly in all indicators of technological advancement including mobile phone users, internet users, accessing public services digitally, mobile banking, and earnings from ICT exports.
His policies has already contributed to Bangladesh receiving investment from Silicon Valley. It is a paradigm shift for Bangladesh to reach such a height in ICT from what it had been even less than a decade ago. The World Information Technology and Services Alliance named Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the winner of Eminent Persons Award for 2021 for her fight against fundamentalism, militancy and terrorism. The Award was declared at the World Congress on IT (WCIT 2021) which was held in Dhaka from November 11-13, 2021. I sawrelentless effort and devastating administrative steamroller of Dr. Md. Sabur Khan, the Chairman of Board of Trustees of Daffodil International University during theimplementation of Computerization and Automation system at the university. He has forced every faculty member and official to become accustomed to using technology and habituated with modern tools of ICT. It has been observed that many teachers and officials have been delayed in getting their salaries at the end of the month due to lack of proficiency in the use of technology.but he compelled to teach them.
The then Vice-Chancellor, the late Professor Aminul Islam Sir, had to become proficient and accustomed to the use of software and automation system to meet the needs of the age, even though he was a veteran. He, of course, enjoyed it very much.At that time many teaching officers expressed reluctance in this matter but due to some compulsions they started practicing and after seeing the concentration and skill of accepting Professor Dr. Aminul Islam Sir as the Vice Chancellor it later became the focus of regular practice of many. As a result, the university is gradually taking the form of a digital university.
From the beginning, all the academic and administrative activities of the university have been computerized and automated step by step through software and as a result students and parents have become accustomed to online. As a result, DIU students are able to get acquainted with the latest discoveries and applications of information technology and become educated in technology-friendly education suitable for the world market. Since 2012, the university authorities have taken the initiative to conduct online curriculum activities and have been able to implement it gradually.Our education system has suffered the most during the Corona Extreme.
All educational institutions were closed for more than 18 months. Students, teachers and parents were all concerned about the future of education. But even in such a crisis, Daffodil International University is the only university in the country which was in full swing all the time. The students’ study was not disturbed for a single moment only because the platforms like the University’s’ Blended Learning Center and’Go-Edu’ were active and the students were already accustomed to it. University teachers and students enjoyed the full benefits of the online platform Blended Learning Center (BLC) in these difficult times of the Corona epidemic.
“100% academic activities of the university had been going on in full swing smoothly using the BLC platform which DIU started in 2013 when there were a lot of interruption due to strike, hartal and blockade program which equipped the faculty members and that’s why DIU Faculties were in line with this technology. As a part of complete automation and digitalization, the university has combined the strength of its BLC platform for performing academic activities and Smart Edu for administrative purposes.
Since the beginning of the human creation, we are habituated with face to face (on site education) which is further enhanced through digital tools or ICTs, for instance, teaching at a class room with multimedia projector. Bangladesh has crossed the first phase of digital education and now moves to second phase of Blended Digital. Blended Learning implies to the purposeful combination of face to face and online activities, for instance, conducting classes integrating three days face to face and two days online. University Grants Commission of Bangladesh has approved the Blended Learning Policy 2021. Next phase is Online Digital Education.
Literally, Bangladesh has yet to make its presence felt in the global online education industry. However, Daffodil International University has informed the world about their ability to launch Online degrees. Daffodil International University has started platform based education for the first time in tertiary education in Bangladesh. This whole process makes teaching and learning interactive, brings students and teachers closer together, allowing students to share their learning experiences with teachers.
A significant number of foreign students have been studying at Daffodil International University since 2008. Among the foreign students are from Nepal, India, Nigeria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Jordan, Turkey, Djibouti, Ethiopia. Through these students, the country is earning a huge amount of foreign exchange which is playing a huge role in our economy. Currently a large number of foreign students from those countries are interested in studying online and taking online degree which will take the education system of the country to a new higher level.
Daffodil International University is interested in launching online degrees at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels so as not to disrupt students’ higher education at present and the university has already applied to the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh for permission to offer online degrees. Due to the current global situation, many of our neighboring countries have now started offering online degrees. Recently, the University Grants Commission of India has given approval to a number of universities in their country to offer online degrees. The developed world started it at least 10 years ago. By economic standards, the market value of online education will reach $ 365 billion by 2026. If the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (such as artificial intelligence-based LMS, learning analytics) are effectively integrated into the system, it could easily become our third highest source of income after remittances and garments. Therefore, I hope that the country’s planners and policy makers will prioritize research and innovation 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 (PR) of Daffodil International University
