Daffodil International University, a technology-based digital educational institution named after the world’s renowned flower ‘Daffodil’, 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, but started with only 68 students. In just a few years, Daffodil International University ( DIU) surprised everyone by rising to the top of the list of best private universities in Bangladesh rated by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Not only in Bangladesh, but also in the international arena, the reputation of Daffodil International University has spread significantly.
Founded by country’s renowned IT Personality and visionary leaderDr. Md. Sabur Khan and the prudence of the founding Vice-Chancellor late Professor Dr. Aminul Islam, university’s involvement of technology based activities from the very beginning and the perseverance of creating young entrepreneurs have enabled the university to become one of the best educational institutions today.Through the introduction of ‘Blended Learning’and ‘Go Edu’ education system, the university has already gained the honor of being a role model in online education in Bangladesh.
My favorite philosopher Rousseau and he 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 has been built in the same pattern on about sixty acres of land.
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. The green campus will easily attract anyone who is a nature lover in a playful environment with aesthetic beauty. Just as the authorities did not fail to organize various activities to enhance the beauty of the entire campus, the students also did not spare a single penny in receiving the nectar of Ananda Sanjivani.In addition to education, students regularly explore and enjoy the focal point of natural beauty of the university – like Knowledge Valley, Banmaya, Food Court, Fountain, Aircraft, Green Garden, Gymnasium, Swimming Pool, Innovation Laband Golf Course.Jumpes hangout continues everywhere besides studying. And for sports lover, there are international standard cricket grounds, basketball courts, volleyball courts, badminton courts, indoor complexes. If you don’t see it with your own eyes, it is a very difficult task to express the enormity of the ‘State of the Art’ campus in a bouquet of words and an enjoyable description.
The university has not only earned national and international recognition in aesthetics but also has earned the reputation as a unique source of quality education. At the very recent Olympic World Congress on Information Technology (WICIT-2021), the university has been honored with the ‘Global ICT Excellence Award’. Not only has that, through this achievement, the university proved its superiority in online education not only as the only institution in Bangladesh but also in the world. In QS Asia University Rankings 2021, it ranks 4th among the private universities in Bangladesh in the list of the best universities in Asia. 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 all the internationally acclaimed and recognized rankings.
Not only ensuring the beauty of the campus is important but also ensuring the dining and rooming environment is equally important for the students to ensure a quality learning environment. DIU has world class hostel facilities to alleviate the student housing crisis. The university currently has accommodation for about 10,000 students, including a learning-friendly environment, quality food, internet, WiFi, and strong 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 this time of the epidemic, the university authorities have provided an incentive of Tk. 22 crore for the students in 2021 semester. The university authorities are trying to prevent a student 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 unintentional 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 insurance facility which is rare in Bangladesh.
The Career Development Center (CDC) is constantly providing employment, internship placement, career grooming up and field visits to the students through 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 reputed universities in the world.Various activities are conducted throughout the year in the contracted universities including Asia Summer Program, Teacher-Student Exchange Program, Scholarship, Internship, Research, Joint Conference, various competitions. The reputation of the university has spread all over the world beyond the borders of the country.
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 faculties of the university and the university has a research division and research fund to motivate the teachers and students to do more research. Daffodil International University has the 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 important positions in the country and abroad, especially in many multinational companies including Google, Yahoo.DIU graduates are achieving extremely good results in the BCS cadre 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 Corona Extreme. 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 reading of the students was not disturbed even for a moment.
It is only because 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, beyond the face-to-face, in the second stage, i.e in the banded digital. For which the University Grants Commission has already approved the Blended Learning Policy 2021. The next step is online digital education.Literally, Bangladesh has yet to make its presence felt in the global online education industry. However, DIU has informed the world about their ability to launch online degreesand 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 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.
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.Hopefully, 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.
Two decades is not a long time for a university to focus its attention on education, innovation, development and research, but Daffodil International University has already been able to make its position known in Bangladesh and outside Bangladesh. About 40,000 graduates have already graduated from the university, contributing to the national and international arena. Many achievements of the university in this short time, in the future the fragrance of this daffodil will spread far and wide beyond the borders of the country, this fragrance will spread all over the world.
Md. Anowar Habib Kazal is a Senior Assistant Director (Public Relations), Daffodil International University.
