Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science & Technology University is the first Science and Technology University in the northern region of Bangladesh. It stands away from the urban din and bustle at a beautiful and scenic location some 13km north of Dinajpur town by the side of the intercity highway that links Dinajpur to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University was established as an Agricultural Extension Training Institute (AETI) to award a three-year diploma in agriculture. The AETI was later upgraded to Hajee Mohammad Danesh Agricultural College in 1988 having an affiliation from the Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. Then the college was upgraded to the status of a university renaming it as Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University on 8 April 2002.
About HSTU
HSTU is relatively new as a university having been established in 1999. However, as an academic institution its history dates back to 1979 when it started its journey as an Agricultural Extension Training Institute (AETI) created to offer three year diploma course in Agriculture. In a matter of a decade it was elevated to degree-giving institution in 1988 and named as Hajee Mohammad Danesh Agricultural College. Ultimately based on the performance of Agricultural College but more importantly to cater to the crying need for highly skilled manpower in Science and Technology and for promotion of research in these vital areas Prime minister of that time Sheikh Hasina declared to upgrade Hajee Mohammad Danesh Agriculture College to Science and Technology University on February 1999 in a public meeting held at Gor-E-Shahid Maidan of Dinajpur. On 6th September the property liabilities was handed over of former Agriculture College from Ministry of Agriculture to Ministry of Education. On the history of establishment of this University the 11th September is a glorious day. On this day of 1999 the Prime Minister of Peoples Republic Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina inaugurate the activities of this University by setting the foundation stone. After setting up the foundation stone, Prof. Asnisur Rahman was appointed as Project Director to establish the university. First batch of the students were admitted at that time (1999-2000 session). The Act of the University was passed on 8 July 2001 in the Jatio Shongsad (National Assembly) with was followed by a gazette notification on 8 April 2002.
At its inception it had inherited only the faculty of Agriculture but soon six faculties were added to it. At present the faculties are: (1) Agriculture (2) Veterinary and Animal Science (3) Fisheries (4) Business Studies (BS) (5) Engineering (AFE) (6) Computer Science and Engineering and (7) Post Graduate Studies. There are total of 40 departments under these faculties. In addition to these Bachelor of Science offering faculties there is the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies offering MS and PhD degrees. Besides, there is also an Institute of Research and Training that conducts and coordinates research programmes and offers training to graduates and farmers. Thankfully, unlike most public universities of Bangladesh, HSTU does not suffer from session jam and is running smoothly.
Hajee Mohammad Danesh
Hajee Mohammad Danesh (1900-1986) was a peasant leader and politician. He was born in Sultanpur village in Dinajpur district. Having obtained his M.A. in History from Aligarh Muslim University in 1931 and B.L. degree in 1932. In the 1930s, Danesh became active in the communist organisations of Bengal, especially the Bengal provincial organisation of the Communist Party of India.[1] He was arrested twice in 1938 by the government of Bengal for his participation in the Tebhaga movement, an agitation in northern Bengal against zamindars landlords for landless peasants and share-croppers who sought a greater share of the yield, most of which was surrendered to the zamindars.[1][2] Danesh was one of the few Muslim communist leaders of the struggle, and worked to mobilise the Muslim peasantry in favor of the movement.[3] In 1945, he joined the All India Muslim League, but was later expelled for his participation in the continuing Tebagha movement, and re-arrested by the Bengal government in 1946.After the partition of India and Bengal in 1947, Danesh remained in his home district of Dinajpur, which fell in Muslim-majority East Bengal, which became part of the newly created Muslim state of Pakistan. He died in Dhaka on 28 June 1986.