Humboldt Club Bangladesh is one of the oldest Humboldt clubs in South East
Asia, which was first formed in 1983. Initially its name was Humboldt Club Bangladesh
but for better management it was renamed as Association of Humboldt Fellows Bangladesh
in 2004. In recent years the Association has been significantly activated, achieving
its aims and objectives.
According to the Constitution of the Association of Humboldt Fellows Bangladesh,
the objectives of the Association are: i)To provide a form for ex-scholars from
Bangladesh to meet together, exchange ideas and share their experiences of the Federal
Republic of Germany.
ii)To promote academic and cultural relations between the Federal Republic of Germany
and Bangladesh through meetings, seminars and exchange of visits etc.
iii)To help ex-Scholars in obtaining various kinds of supports from the Alexander
von Humboldt Foundation for their academic and research pursuits in Bangladesh.
iv)To receive dignitaries from the Federal Republic of Germany in Bangladesh and
provide them the necessary exposure to Bangladeshi scientists and educationists
by organizing lectures by such dignitaries and meetings, etc.
v)To draw attention of Bangladeshi academicians and research workers to the Humboldt
Foundation and its activities, to encourage them to apply for the Humboldt Fellowship,
to give them the necessary guidance and help for this purpose.
vi)To provide necessary help and guidance to Humboldt Scholars proceeding to the
Federal Republic of Germany for the first time.
vii)To maintain close liaison with (a) the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
in Bangladesh. (b) the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), (c) the German Alumni
Association of Bangladesh and international Networking of Humboldt Fellows of different
disciplines.
The Association is working to materialize all these objectives and also in addition
to achieving these objectives we have extended our works to some social activities
for helping mass education. In order to depict a picture of our activities of recent
years I start from the year 2004, the year when we celebrated 50th Anniversary of
the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation in presence and active participation of the
Deputy Secretary General of the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation Dr. Gisela Janetzke
as Special Guest in our Programme.
Prior to this event on Feb. 20, 2004, five Parliamentarians from the German
Bundestag namely: Dr. Wolf Bauer, Mr. Johannes Pflug, Mr. Josef Winkler, Mrs. Angelika
Graf & Mrs. Ulrike Flach made a state visit to our country. As General Secretary
of the Association of Humboldt Fellows Bangladesh I was honoured by the then Ambassador
of Germany in Bangladesh H.E. Mr. Dietrich Andreas to be introduced to them in a
Lunch Party, Organized by him. I narrated to them about the activities of our Association,
letting them know of our preparation for celebration of the 50th Anniversary of
the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation and about the participation of Dr. Gisela
Janetzke in our event and in that meeting as I was asked to put up important suggestions,
accordingly it was my proposal to the esteemed Parliamentarians to take necessary
steps in Govt. level to enhance bilateral co-operations in all vital sectors, especially
to take steps to develop exchange program in University faculties leading to establishment
of a German-Bangladesh Friendship University & Hospital. The Parliamentarians
highly appreciated the activities of our Association. After five years five Parliamentarians
from the German Bundestag came again to our country on official visit and again
as General Secretary of the Association of Humboldt Fellows Bangladesh I had the
opportunity to talk to them, having been invited by H.E. the Ambassador of Germany
in Bangladesh Mr. Frank Meyke in a Dinner party, organized by his support. I tried
to give a message to them about our idea in enhancing bilateral cooperation between
the two countries. As mentioned, just two months later on April 20, 2004 we celebrated
the 50th Anniversary of the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation in Dhaka Sheraton
Hotel. In the Inaugural session, the Chief Guest was Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan, MP,
the honourable Minister, Ministry of Science and Information & Communication
Technology, Govt. of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh. Special Guests were: Deputy
Secretary General of the Humboldt Foundation, Dr. Gisela Janetzke; H.E. the Ambassador
of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bangladesh Mr. Dietrich Andreas; Vice-Chancellor
of Dhaka University Prof. S.M.A.Faiz and Vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar University
Prof. Khandaker Mustahidur Rahman. At the Inaugural session Dr. Gisela Janetzke
gave a speech on “Recent Developments concerning the sponsorship programmes of the
Humboldt Foundation” and I gave a talk on “Alexander Von Humboldt- the Great Explorer,
Naturalist and Scientist”. Followed by there was a technical session, where Prof.
Dr. med. vet. Hermann Mueller from the University of Leipzig gave a talk on “Inmmunosuppressive
viral Diseases in Poultry”. The Humboldtian Dr. M. Eusuf also gave a talk on “Energy
& Environment in Bangladesh”. The Minister Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan was so impressed
that he was present in the technical session too. Even the Defense Adviser from
the German Embassy in Delhi was present in that program for whole time. The news
came out in different national dailies. DAAD Alumni Special Newsletter from New
Delhi gave news Heading: “Humboldt Club Bangladesh celebrates 50th Anniversary of
AvH Foundation.” On the next day Dr.Giseta Janetzke had a courtesy call to Vice-Chancellor
of Dhaka University Prof. S.M.A Faiz and visited laboratories and talked to teachers
of two Departments of Dhaka University, Dept of Chemistry & Dept. of Applied
Chemistry & Chemical Engineering and she expressed her deep satisfaction.
December I, 2004 there was a Dinner party, given in honour to two German
Professors: Prof. Thorsten Benter from Wueppertal University and Dr. Klaus Ruscher
of the Hannover University, who actually came to attend Bangladesh Chemical Congress.
The Dinner party was given by the President of the Association Prof. M. Muhibur
Rahman, inviting Humboldt Fellows in his house. The Association raised money to
help some schools which were severely affected by the devastating flood in the year
2004. A call was made to all Humboldt Fellows and their associates, both in Bangladesh
and abroad. Professor Thorsten Benter of the University of Wuppertal, made an appeal
to the faculty members of that University, and the money raised was later handed
over to the association when he visited Bangladesh in December 2004 to participate
in the Bangladesh Chemical Congress. Since then, Professor Benter has been raising
money through the program “Kinder Forschertage” in his University to contribute
to the fund of our association for the rehabilitation of flood affected schools.
On July 19, 2005, a cheque of one lakh and eighty thousand Taka (equivalent
to more than two thousand Euro at that time) was ceremonially handed over to a flood
affected school, Solmaid School of Bhatara Union near Dhaka city as a donation from
our Association in presence of Charge D’Affairs of the German Embassy in Dhaka.
The news came out in national dailies.
In 2006 we contributed from our Association Fund a sum of one lakh Taka equivalent
to more than one thousand Euro to the following flood affected schools for reconstructions:
1. Fatullah primary School
2. Fatullah Pilot High School
3. Fatullah Kindergarten School.
A decision has been taken by the Executive committee to donate further one lakh
Taka equivalent to more than one thousand Euro to Solmaid School to develop laboratory
facilities as soon as possible in presence of the representatives from German Embassy.
We aim to continue this type of practice of our Association. As already stated,
one of the objectives of our Association is to promote academic and cultural relations
between the Federal Republic of Germany and Bangladesh through meetings, seminars
and exchange of visits. With that aim in view, every year we are doing Annual General
meeting followed by seminar, symposium, where not only local Humboldians participate
but very distinguished personalities from home and abroad, especially from Germany
are participating. The seminar topics are selected on contemporary national issues.
For example in 2007 we had AGM and seminar on “Arsenic pollution in Bangladesh and
its mitigation”. February 14, 2008 the Association of Humboldt Fellows Bangladesh
celebrated 10th Anniversary of the Georg Forster Fellowship Programme. The programme
was attended by H.E. the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany Mr. Frank
Meyke, Cultural Attache of the Embassy, Vice-Chancellor of Jagannath University,
Pro-Vice-chancellor of Dhaka University, Pro vice-Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University,
Chief of GTZ Bangladesh, Director of the Goethe Institute, Deans and Heads of different
faculties and depts. A symposium was held on this occasion on “Biotechnology&
Environment. Several distinguished scientists delivered lectures on their research
findings on different topics, related to the theme of the Symposium, like “Biotechnological
solutions for sustainable crop production in the changing environment”; “Avian influenza
and human pandemic influenza: Where do we stand?”; “Arsenic mediated intracellular
signal transduction”.
December 2008, Association of Humboldt Fellows Bangladesh organized a Dinner
Party in a restaurant in the diplomatic zone to invite Prof. Sandhoff from University
of Bonn, supervisor of Humboldtian Prof. H.K.M. Yusuf and another Professor from
Japan.
This year on February, 2009 we already had the AGM, followed by a symposium
on “Contemporary Scientific Thoughts on future Development”. The Programme Venue
was Dhaka Sheraton Hotel. There were a number of very distinguished foreign participants,
who gave valuable speeches like: Professor Dr Rudi Van Eldik from university of
Erlangen-Nuernberg (Humboldt Fellow), Prof. Dr.Thorster Benter from University of
Wuppertal, Prof. Jan Hoinkis from Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Prof.
Sabyasachi Sarkar from IIT, Kanpur, India(Humboldt Fellow), Professor Dr V.Agarwal,
Parliament Member of Nepal (Humboldt Fellow). Among Guests and distinguished participants
were: the German Ambassador, His Excellency Mr. Frank Meyke, the Cultural Attache
of the German Embassy, the Director of Goethe Institute in Dhaka, Chief of the GTZ,
the Vice-Chancellor of the Daffodil University, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Dhaka
University, Deans and Heads of different departments, potential Humboldtians.
Again in November this year we plan to organize Humboldt Kolleg in Dhaka
on the theme: “Environmental Challenges in the New Millennium”. As already planned
there will be more than 100 whole time participants in that conference along with
some 16 Humboldt Fellows from different countries and 4 German Professors. In order
to select participants for that I went to several departments of Dhaka University
and also Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and worked liked an
Ambassador of the Humboldt Foundation. I noticed that in many of the important Depts.
of Dhaka University like Applied Physics and Electronics, Computer Science and Engineering,
Geology, Pharmacy, Genetic Engineering, Microbiology and in Bangladesh University
of Engineering & Technology in depts. like Chemical, Mechanical, Metallurgy
& Material Science, Electrical, Civil Engineering, still not very many have
definite knowledge on Humboldt Fellowship programme and its status. I realized that
such type of informal visits and discussions on Humboldt Fellowship programmes could
be very much fruitful for the potential Humboldtians. Even the Deans of Faculties
and Heads of several depts. were so much impressed knowing in detail about the Fellowship
Programmes that they themselves decided to participate in the programme of Humboldt
Kolleg for whole time, though they are normally very much busy with project works.
They also nominated some potential young researchers to participate in the event.
I think this has been a real good thought of having informal discussions with the
potential Humboldtians of different disciplines about the Fellowship Programmes
and could be a very good practice which could act as a catalytic force to increase
the number of potential applicants for this prestigious Fellowship, especially in
the field of Engineering & Technology, which our country needs more for its
sustainable development. We plan to continue such discussions with potential Humboldtians
in educational institutions of not only the capital city but also in other cities.
Soon there will be web site of our Association to encourage further the junior researchers
through our outstanding activities.
Besides such activities we maintain liaison with other Humboldt Associations around
the Globe. For last five years we are constantly participating in Humboldt Colloquiums,
Humboldt Kollegs, Conferences, organized in different countries like India, Thailand,
Malaysia, Germany, etc.
The activities of our Association are well expressed through a letter of Dr. Gisela
Janetzke to me in April 2007: “Thank you very much for your continuous efforts to
strengthen the ties between your country and the AvH.”
Professor Dr.-Ing.Rafiqul Islam
General Secretary
Association of Humboldt Fellows Bangladesh
