Sylhet International University - History

History

It takes a rare personality to establish a university at private initiative. Such a personality is Mr. Kutubuddin Ahmed, the founder of SIU. His elder brother, the late Moyeenuddin Ahmed, had founded the Moyeenddin Mohila College, which is situated in Kanishail, Sylhet. Imbued with a similar noble impulse to serve the society, Mr. Kutubuddin was mulling over the idea of establishing a commerce college when rather by accident he came in contact with a renowned educationist, Prof. Dr. Sadruddin Ahmed Chawdhury. Prof. S. A. Chawdhury is a seasoned educational administrator who has to his credit anter alia the experience of being the founder Vice-Chancellor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology. Mr. Chawdhury immediately took up the offer and convinced Mr. Kutubuddin about the propriety and desirability of setting up a private university with the land and financial resources offered by him rather than setting up a commerce college. Two young teachers of Modan Mohon College, Mr. Akbar Hussain Chowdhury and Mr. Monjur Hussain played the role of catalysts and bridged the ideas of the philanthropist donor Mr. Kutubuddin and the astute organizer and administrator Prof. Dr. Sadruddin Ahmed Chawdhury. There followed a hectic period of preparing the papers necessary for getting the approval of the UGC and the Ministry of Education. At the same time the herculean task of transformation of a forlorn half constructed factory house of Mr. Kutubuddin into an academic building was afoot under the direct supervision of Prof. S. A. Chawdhury who has all the acumen of a civil engineer. A house was hired near the proposed campus and in the strenuous spade work Mr. Rajib, a son of Mr. Kutubuddin Ahmed and Ms. Naseha Chawdhury, a daughter of Prof. S. A. Chawdhury, joined hands. No less important was the role of the then computer operator and Office Assistant Mr. Samsul Alam (Masum) who continually typed the papers as well as ran official errands. Combined efforts of the team bore fruits in several months so that on the 25th November 2001 with proper recommendation of the UGC and approval of the Education Ministry (vide memo no. wkg/kv: 14/8 †e:we:-11/2001/596) the Sylhet International University started functioning in its own campus as the first private university in the Sylhet Division.