Message of The Vice-Chancellor

A university is the highest seat of learning and a place for freethinking. It is a melting pot for the academicians and those who want to be taught. It is a place for research, creation of knowledge and dissemination of the same. All these, of course, need a congenial atmosphere. The Islamic University of Technology (IUT) has been established to provide such an environment to the youth of the member states.

The real wealth of a country lies not only in its natural resources but much in the quality of education of its people and their ability to use their knowledge for national development. It is an undeniable fact that the Islamic world is lagging behind the developed world in the key fields of science and technology although many of them are blessed with considerable natural resources. Therefore human resources development remains as one of the cherished objectives of the OIC. We have to understand also that if science, technology and the scientists are not linked to the economic system, we shall be facing a disastrous consequence in the development our nations.

The dawn of the new millennium has been a historic turning point for the human race. It has marked the beginning of a new era of globalization and a knowledge-based economy, which puts a very high priority on to the role of Science and Technology. In the highly competitive world, the youth of the Islamic world must be equipped with the necessary know-how and expertise, especially in the area of new and cutting-edge technologies. Special emphasis must be given to the programs in engineering and technology in order to boost industrial and technological research.

There are many universities in the world. Not all of them enjoy the same status in terms of ranking. So what makes a university superior than the others? In my judgment what comes first in this respect is the presence of properly qualified, experienced and dedicated academicians. Then come the physical facilities like good classroom, well equipped laboratories, good research facilities, resourceful library with up-to-date text books, reference books and journals. Dynamic course curriculum and standard examination system etc are also vital in determining the status of a university. At IUT we are trying to ensure the above within our limited resources.

Students also constitute a major component of a university. Unless we have students with the right academic background preparation, they will not be able to cope with demand of the courses that are offered. The end result may be a waste of time and money for both the students and the university.

We cannot allow the Islamic world to continue to be permanent consumer of technology but rather we should work seriously to join the group of technology providers. We must develop our own scientific and technological capabilities. With these hopes and aspirations, we urge all concerned from the OIC countries particularly those who are directly related with the activities of IUT to contribute their might to build IUT as a center of Excellence.

Prof. Dr. Imtiaz Hossain
Ph.D. (UMIST), M.Sc.Engg, B.Sc. Engg. (Mech), (BUET)
Vice Chancellor, IUT