Ali Riaz urged young people to practise free thinking, reasoning and tolerance towards differing opinions.
Seven master’s students from the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at the University of Dhaka. Photo: TBS
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Seven master’s students from the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at the University of Dhaka. Photo: TBS
Seven master’s students from different academic years of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at the University of Dhaka have received the Ali Riaz Postgraduate Research Award and Scholarship.
The research awards and scholarship cheques were handed to the students at a ceremony held at Professor Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium today (7 October).
The Department of Mass Communication and Journalism organised the event.
University of Dhaka Vice-Chancellor Professor ABM Obaidul Islam attended the event as the chief guest, while Ali Riaz, distinguished professor of the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University in the US, attended as the guest of honour.
Professor Kazi Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, acting chairman of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism and dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, chaired the event.
Ali Riaz urges students to question
Speaking at the event, Ali Riaz urged young people to practise free thinking, reasoning and tolerance towards differing opinions.
“Ask why. Not only as journalism students, but as citizens, it is your responsibility to ask this question. The world belongs to you,” he said.
He also urged young people not to let their energy turn into arrogance.
“Your reasoning must be sharp, but it should not turn into a sword,” he said, stressing the importance of tolerating differing opinions and respecting others.
Ali Riaz said defeating authoritarianism is the first step towards democratic transition.
However, he said democratic transition does not end with elections. Genuine democratic participation requires establishing citizens’ rights and building accountable and independent institutions.
VC stresses alumni support
Vice-Chancellor ABM Obaidul Islam said support from alumni is important for advancing the university’s research and educational activities.
Although the university has plans to undertake various initiatives, financial constraints often prevent it from doing everything it wants, he said.
The vice-chancellor stressed the need to build endowment funds with support from former students.
He also called for increasing the value of the Ali Riaz Trust Fund over time.
He said the real value of many trust funds declines over the years due to inflation, making it difficult to maintain the same level of scholarships and awards.
Therefore, arrangements should be made to increase the award amount over time, he added.
The scholarship recipients are Aurthy Noboneeta, Farah Jahan Suchi, Usama Rafid, Azra Humayra, Kouritro Poddar Tirtha, Mohammad Al Mukit and Muhammad Muyyammil Haque.
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