Shireen Akhter | |
---|---|
শিরীণ আখতার | |
18th Vice Chancellor of the University of Chittagong | |
In office 3 November 2019 –19 March 2024 | |
Chancellor | President of Bangladesh |
Preceded by | Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury |
Succeeded by | Md. Abu Taher |
Personal details | |
Born | Cox's Bazar,East Pakistan,Pakistan | 1 May 1956
Nationality | Bangladeshi |
Spouse | Latiful Alam Chowdhury (died 2020) |
Education |
|
Occupation | Academic |
Shireen Akhter (born 1 May 1956 [1] ) is a Bangladeshi academic. She was the first female vice chancellor of the University of Chittagong. [2] [3] [4]
Akhter was born on 1 May 1956 to a Bengali family of Muslim Chowdhuries in Eidgaon, Cox's Bazar subdivision, Chittagong District, East Pakistan. [5] Her father was Afsar Kamal Chowdhury and mother was Begum Lutfunnahar Kamal. [5]
Akhter completed her SSC and HSC in 1973 and 1975 respectively. She earned her bachelor's and master's from the University of Chittagong in 1978 and 1981 respectively. [6] In 1991, She earned her PhD from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. [6]
Akhter was a member of Election Commission (EC) Search committee. She joined the University of Chittagong as a lecturer of Bangla department in 1996. [7] [8]
In 2006, Akhter was promoted to professor. [9]
Akhter was appointed the first female vice chancellor of the University of Chittagong on 3 November 2019. [6] She replaced Dr Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury. [9] In November 2020, she was nominated for the Begum Rokeya Padak and received it in December from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. [10] [11]
On 29 April 2021, Akhter was reappointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chittagong. [12]
Akhter's office was vandalized in January 2023 by Bangladesh Chhatra League activists led by its University of Chittagong unit President Moynul Hasan for not recruiting Raihan Ahmed, a Bangladesh Chhatra League activist, as a faculty. [13]
Akhter was married to Major (Retired) Latiful Alam Chowdhury. [14] He died on 29 July 2020. [14] They had two children. [5]
The University of Chittagong is a public research university located in Hathazari, Chattogram, Bangladesh. It was established on 18 November 1966. It is one of the oldest universities in Bangladesh. Its 2,312.32 acres (935.76 ha) campus is the largest among universities in Bangladesh. It is one of the four autonomous by the act universities of Bangladesh.
Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, commonly known as Begum Rokeya, was a prominent Bengali feminist thinker, writer, educator and political activist from British India. She is widely regarded as a pioneer of women's liberation in Bangladesh and India.
Begum Sufia Kamal was a Bangladeshi poet, feminist leader, and political activist. She took part in the Bengali nationalist movement of the 1950s and civil society leader in independent Bangladesh. She led feminist activism and was a president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad. She died in 1999 and was the first woman to be given a state funeral in Bangladesh.
Neelima Ibrahim was a Bangladeshi educationist, littérateur and social worker. She is well known for her scholarship on Bengali literature but even more so for her depiction of raped and tortured women in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War in her book Ami Birangana Bolchi. She was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1969, Begum Rokeya Padak in 1996 and Ekushey Padak in 2000 by the Government of Bangladesh for her contributions to Bangla literature.
Shamsunnahar Mahmud was a writer, politician and educator in Bengal during the early 20th century. She was a leader of the women's rights movement in Bengal pioneered by Begum Rokeya. Shamsunnahar Hall of the University of Dhaka and University of Chittagong was named after her.
Zohra Begum Kazi was the first Bengali Muslim female physician. She was awarded the Tamgha-e-Pakistan in 1964, Begum Rokeya Padak in 2002, and the Ekushey Padak in 2008.
Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, formerly Rangpur University, is a public research university in Rangpur, Bangladesh. Founded in 2008, it is the only generally categorized university in Rangpur Division and the second public university in the region. It was named after the feminist writer and social worker Begum Rokeya.
1971 Dhaka University massacre was the mass murder of students and faculty at the University of Dhaka in East Pakistan by the Pakistan Army, at the beginning of what would become the Bangladesh Liberation War. In March 1971, the Pakistan Army Eastern Wing Commander Tikka Khan launched Operation Searchlight on the orders of dictator Yahya Khan to crush the Bengali nationalist movement. As part of the operation, the army launched an assault on the university campus. It is the deadliest university attack in history.
Chittagong Medical College, abbreviated as CMC is a public medical college located in Chittagong, Bangladesh. It is the second oldest and second largest medical educational institute and hospital in Bangladesh. It is affiliated with the Chittagong Medical University.
Khaleda Ekram was a Bangladeshi architect, professor, researcher, and academic. She served as the 12th vice-chancellor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). She was the former dean of the faculty of architecture and planning and head of the department of architecture at BUET. She was the first woman to be appointed as the vice-chancellor of BUET. She held the position from September 2014 until her death in May 2016.
Begum Rokeya Padak, named after Begum Rokeya, is a Bangladeshi national honour conferred on individual women for their exceptional achievement. The award is given by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh. First awarded in 1995, the Rokeya Padak recognises the pioneering contribution of an individual in empowering women and raising women's issues.
Feminism in Bangladesh seeks equal rights of women in Bangladesh through social and political change. Article 28 of Bangladesh constitution states that "Women shall have equal rights with men in all spheres of the State and of public life".
Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi academic. He served as the 17th vice-chancellor of the University of Chittagong.
Beggzadi Mahmuda Nasir was a Bangladeshi academic. She served as the founder principal of Central Women's College from 1956 until 1992 and then as the vice-chancellor of Central Women's University during 1993–1996. She was awarded Begum Rokeya Padak by the Government of Bangladesh in 2001. She was selected an honorary fellow of Bangla Academy in 2002.
Rama Chowdhury was a Bangladeshi writer and birangana of Bangladesh Liberation War during 1971. In Bangladesh, she is best known for her autobiographical work "Ekatorer Jononi" which describes the torture committed by Pakistani military during the Bangladesh Liberation War. She was awarded Begum Rokeya Padak by the Government of Bangladesh posthumously in 2019.
Meher Kabir was a Bangladeshi academic and litterateur. She was awarded Begum Rokeya Padak by the Government of Bangladesh in 2010.
Papri Basu is a Bangladeshi freedom fighter, teacher, social worker and women's rights activist. She was awarded Begum Rokeya Padak in 2019.
Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah is the former vice-chancellor of Begum Rokeya University.