CU Correspondent
Chittagong University Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohammad Al-Forkan announced a new set of research grants and monthly stipends for teachers and students, as he inaugurated the first phase of the university’s “Nazrul Year” celebration on Wednesday.
Under the new incentives, teachers can receive Tk 8-12 lakh in grants for nine-month research projects and Tk 30-35 lakh for larger three-year projects. Monthly stipends have also been introduced — Tk 20,000 for MPhil students, Tk 40,000 for PhD researchers, and Tk 10,000 for thesis-based MS/MBA students. Names of selected grant recipients for 2024 and 2025 will be announced soon, he said.
Al-Forkan said he felt embarrassed, like many teachers and students, that the university’s international ranking did not reflect its true potential, but noted a “Ranking and IP Cell” has already been formed to address the issue, expressing hope the university would soon strengthen its global standing.
Calling the university not just a teaching institution but a research hub, he urged teachers to become more active in research and to involve students in research and co-curricular activities, setting a goal of transforming CU into “a fertile ground for research” within a year. Citing examples from universities in Lahore and Australia’s University of New South Wales, he called for strengthening student clubs such as the Nazrul Club, Rabindra Club, and Science Club to build leadership and creativity.
On the day’s occasion, Al-Forkan said the “Nazrul Year” program held special significance for the university and thanked the government for the initiative, congratulating organizers for successfully arranging the event on short notice. Reflecting on the poet’s legacy, he said Kazi Nazrul Islam cannot be confined to a single identity, noting his writings on rebellion, equality, and gender parity remain relevant today, and recalled that Nazrul’s poetry resurfaced in public voice during the 2024 mass uprising.
He closed by calling for collective effort from teachers, students, and staff to build Chittagong University into a peaceful, research-driven institution of international standing, and sought cooperation from student organizations to maintain a peaceful campus environment.