Bangladesh Open University draws up programmes for month of mourning
Bangladesh Open University has planned a series of programmes to commemorate the month of mourning in remembrance of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's martyrdom anniversary and National Mourning Day.
On 15 August 1975, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family were killed. Almost three decades later, on 21 August 2004, Sheikh Hasina survived a grenade attack at an Awami League rally, but 24 leaders and activists, including Women's Awami League President Ivy Rahman, lost their lives.
To observe this solemn period, the August Mourning Banner will be displayed at the main gate of the university in the early hours of August. Black badges will be distributed to all teachers, officers, and employees on the first working day. BOU open TV, social media, website, office pads, and letters will also bear the August mourning badge.
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The library and documentation department will showcase rare documents, copies of Bangabandhu's written letters, and speeches at Baubi Central Library. Additionally, documentaries, songs, and poems on the Father of the Nation and the martyrs will be regularly displayed on large LED screens near the main gate adjacent to the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.
Throughout the first week of August, remembrance meetings, lectures, and discussions have been organised. Moreover, special programmes have been arranged to celebrate the 74th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu's eldest son, Sheikh Kamal, on 5 August, and the 93rd birth anniversary of Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnecha Mujib on 8 August. As part of these celebrations, a blood donation programme and a discussion meeting were organised by the Baubi teachers' forum, who believe in the ideals of Bangabandhu.
On 15 August, the National Day of Mourning, the national flag will be lowered to half-mast, and a black flag will be hoisted at the main campus of BOU at sunrise. Tributes will be paid to the statue of Bangabandhu's portrait at Dhanmondi No. 32, and prayers will be organised throughout the day. Similar programmes will be conducted at BOU 12 regional centers and 80 sub-regional centers across the country.
The BOU Teachers Association will host a discussion meeting in the evening. Additionally, BOU will host four programmes on Bangabandhu, Sheikh Hasina, and Smart Bangladesh as per the decision of the Ministry of Education. Furthermore, a seminar on 'Bangabandhu's foresight and sustainable development plan' and an open discussion meeting on 'Bangabandhu's educational thought' will be held in the last week of August.
Additionally, the Bangabandhu Ideological Teachers' Forum will hold a programme of condemnation and protest on the 19th anniversary of 21 August grenade attack. On 21 August, prayers will be offered at the mosque for the peace of the souls of those killed in this barbaric attack.
To ensure the smooth implementation of these programmes in the regional and sub-regional centers of BOU across the country, including the Gazipur campus, one main committee and seven sub-committees have been formed for the month of August.
