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National Parliament Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamalhas called on students to become responsible citizens by combining academic excellence with integrity, discipline and humanitarian values.
“Being educated, securing a job or holding a prestigious position is not enough. You must be responsible to the country,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at the 2026 freshers’ reception organised by the Department of Zoology at the University of Dhaka on Thursday.
Addressing the newcomers, Kamal said, “You are among the brightest of the bright. The University of Dhaka was founded to nurture talented people. Wherever you go in the world, you must uphold the university’s reputation.”
Recalling his own days as a student of the university, Kamal said he was a student of the Department of History during the 1989-90 academic session.
“Memories of student life never fade. Coming to this auditorium today makes me feel as if I have returned to those days,” he said.
Highlighting the historic role of the University of Dhaka, the deputy speaker said the institution was not merely a centre of higher education but had also played a major role in Bangladesh’s democratic movements, secular consciousness and struggle for national liberation.
He referred to the 1952 Language Movement, the 1971 Liberation War, the 1990 mass uprising and the anti-fascist movement of 2024, saying the university had played a leading role in many of the country’s major movements.
“Whenever the country has faced a crisis, disaster or national challenge, the University of Dhaka has provided direction to the nation. In difficult times, the university has remained a symbol of hope, inspiration and possibility,” he said.
Emphasising regular attendance, perseverance and discipline, Kamal said academic talent could reach its full potential only through hard work, honesty and discipline.
“Tolerance, mutual respect, free thinking and humanitarian values must be cultivated during university life,” he said.
The deputy speaker also urged students not to limit their ambitions to securing government jobs or prestigious positions.
“Simply passing the BCS examination and occupying a good chair is not enough. You must become responsible to the country, establish yourselves through your achievements and contribute to taking the country forward,” he said.
Kamal further said the country should move towards a merit-based system and called for collective efforts to build a “new Bangladesh”.
“We do not want to go to the streets and embrace death anymore. We want to run the state on the basis of merit. Everyone must work together to take the country forward and build a new Bangladesh so that fascism can never raise its head again,” he said.
Teachers of the Department of Zoology, new and senior students, invited guests, officials of the Parliament Secretariat and journalists from print and electronic media attended the programme.
