About Institution

History of the College

Introduction and Recognition: Daulatpur Upazila is the largest upazila in the Kushtia district. Located at the center of this upazila, directly south of the Upazila Complex, this college was established on December 11, 1985, in a serene and picturesque environment across 4 acres of land. Overcoming numerous hurdles and challenges over the years, the institution achieved district-level recognition as the finest among all educational institutions within the upazila. It was also honored as the best educational institution at the district level during the Digital Innovation Fair 2018. Furthermore, the college was awarded by the National University in 2001 as the best college in the Khulna Division for its outstanding academic performance at the undergraduate level. Currently, there are 18 colleges in this upazila, including both MPO and non-MPO institutions, alongside technical and vocational colleges.

Historical Context and the Need for a College: Prior to the independence of Bangladesh, while there were a handful of educational institutions at the secondary level, there was no institution for higher secondary education in the upazila. Following independence, in 1972, a single college named 'Peoples College' was established in the border village of Khasmathurapur, located roughly 15-16 kilometers away from the upazila headquarters. However, this was highly insufficient to meet the educational needs of the upazila’s massive population. For a long period, due to the absence of a college at the upazila headquarters, the majority of boys and girls in this region were deprived of higher education. While children from well-off families could afford to travel afar for studies, those from financially disadvantaged families remained excluded. Consequently, establishing a college at the upazila headquarters became a long-cherished dream and a core demand for the residents of Daulatpur.

Initial Initiative and the Historic Meeting: After a long wait, on December 9, 1985, the late Shahadat Hossain, the late Tofazzel Hossain, the late Ekramul Haque, the late A.K.M. Aman Ullah (B.Sc), and Md. Lutfar Rahman (Master) sat together at Daulatpur Bazar to hold primary discussions regarding the establishment of a college at the Daulatpur headquarters. They called for a formal meeting on December 11, 1985, at the Daulatpur Pilot High School. The meeting was presided over by the late Ahsanul Haque Pacha Mollah (former State Minister for Post and Telecommunications) and was attended by many prominent figures from Daulatpur and surrounding areas.

Among the notable attendees who have since passed away were the late Shahadat Hossain, the late Tofazzel Hossain, the late Ekramul Haque, the late A.K.M. Aman Ullah (B.Sc), the late Mashihor Rahman (Headmaster, Daulatpur Pilot Secondary School), the late Abdul Jalil Sardar (Headmaster, Daulatpur Pilot Girls' School), the late Maulana Harez Uddin, the late Hasanul Islam Rabiul Sarkar, the late Paban Mandal, the late Abdul Kuddus Member, the late Yaqub Ali (former Upazila Chairman), and the late Hossain Mandal.

Those who are still alive today include Md. Rafiqul Alam (former Principal), Md. Amanul Haque Mollah (former Vice-Principal), Md. Abdut Tawab (Retired Professor), Md. Junaidur Rahman (Retired Professor), Md. Lutfar Rahman (Master), Md. Harez Uddin (former Upazila Chairman), Md. Altab Hossain (former UP Chairman), Md. Abdul Matin, and Del Mohammad (Member).

Crucial Decisions and Resistance: Amid intense public demand from everyone present at that historic meeting, the decision to establish an institution named "Daulatpur College" at the upazila headquarters was adopted. At the same meeting, the late Shahadat Hossain stepped forward and became the first to announce the donation of two bighas of land for the college. On December 13, 1985, another meeting was held under the chairmanship of Tofazzel Saheb. This meeting officially ratified the decision to establish the college at the upazila headquarters and formed an Organizing Committee to manage it.

The late Yaqub Ali (the then Upazila Chairman) was appointed as the President, with the late Shahadat Hossain and the late Hasanul Islam Rabiul Sarkar as Vice-Presidents. The late Tofazzel Hossain, Md. Lutfar Rahman (Master), and Md. Altaf Hossain (former UP Chairman) took roles as Secretaries, while the Acting Principal served as the Treasurer. The late Abdul Jalil Sardar (Headmaster of Daulatpur Pilot Girls' School) was entrusted with the responsibility of Acting Principal. It was further decided that until the college could build its own infrastructure, the old assembly hall of Daulatpur Pilot High School would be utilized for classrooms and other administrative tasks. A proposal to finalize the location and acquire lands for the college was also passed.

Just as the decision to set up the college reached its final phase and land collection was underway, industrialists and high-ranking leaders from Taragunia and Allardargha fiercely opposed the initiative. To prevent Daulatpur College from being built, they constructed a massive tin-shed house near the Taragunia Rural Electrification area to form a college named after industrialist Nuruzzaman Biswas, who deposited two lakh taka into their college fund. High-ranking leaders and residents of Allardargha and Taragunia initiated aggressive opposition and moved to quickly register lands under their proposed college.

This placed the people of Daulatpur in a deep crisis, as the group that managed to register land first would have the upper hand in obtaining institutional approval, and at that point, Daulatpur College had neither finalized its location nor registered any land. In this critical situation, the then Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Police Station, Mr. Md. Sobhan, stepped in and declared that the college must be located within one kilometer of the upazila headquarters. The upazila and police administrations played a vital role in protecting the interests of Daulatpur College. The then District Commissioner (DC) A.F.M. Ziauddin Ahmed and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md. Mojibor Rahman also played instrumental roles.

Land Donations and Public Mobilization: As no suitable land could be found elsewhere for constructing the college's dedicated campus, the final decision was made to build the infrastructure on the southern side of the upazila. On the exact site where the main building of Daulatpur College stands today, the late Shahadat Hossain registered the first two bighas of land to the college. However, since a minimum of three acres was required to formally establish the college, local residents generously stepped up to donate additional parcels of land.

Those whose profound donations and tireless efforts laid the foundational stones of Daulatpur College include:

• Founder Members: Late Maulana Abdul Awal (Chuamallikpara), Late Hasanul Islam Rabiul Sarkar (Rifaitpur), Md. Azizul Haque (Hakimpur), Lutfar Rahman (Chak Daulatpur), and Md. Harez Uddin (Shitlaipara).

• Donor Members: Late Abul Harez Majduddin Ahmed (Chuamallikpara), Late Sad Uddin Ahmed (Chuamallikpara), Late Ekramul Haque (Chak Daulatpur), Late Tofazzel Hossain (Chak Daulatpur), Late Dabir Uddin (Chak Daulatpur), Late Mashihor Rahman (Chuamallikpara), Late Isahak Ali (Chuamallikpara), Mr. Md. Junaidur Rahman (Daripara), Mr. Md. Helalur Rahman (Daripara), Late Paban Mandal (Shitlaipara), Late Jan Mohammad Malitha (Chakkrishnapur), Late Hossain Ali Mandal (Chak Daulatpur), Late Mojibor Rahman (Laubaria), Late Jasim Uddin (Laubaria), Late Sekendar Ali (Laubaria), Mr. Md. Nazrul Islam (Daulatpur), Mr. Md. Abdul Matin (Chak Daulatpur), Late Didar Hossain (Chak Daulatpur), Late Insan Ali (Chak Daulatpur), Mr. Md. Ziaul Alam (Chak Daulatpur), Mr. Md. Mozammel Haque (Chak Daulatpur), Late Intaj Mandal (Manikdiar), Late Ibrahim Mandal (Dukhipur), Late Kabir Hossain Khan (OC, Daulatpur Police Station), Late Abdus Salam (Laubaria), Mr. Md. Nuruzzaman Biswas (Allardargha), Late Intaj Ali (Allardargha), Late Amirul Islam (Daulatpur), Late A.K.M. Amanullah (Daulatpur), and Late Shamsuddin Mandal (Swaruppur).

Those who could not provide land contributed materials like bamboo, financial aid, or free physical labor. Thus, Daulatpur College was built through the absolute, collective cooperation of the general public of Daulatpur.

Commencement of Classes and Academic Struggles: On December 30, 1985, the committee resolved to admit students for the 1986-87 academic year and conduct classes inside the old building of Daulatpur Pilot High School while the college building was being constructed. When admissions commenced in July 1986, a total of 231 students enrolled across the Humanities, Commerce, and Science streams. On August 2, 1986, the committee approved the recruitment of teachers. At that time, finding qualified teachers was an arduous task.

To get classes underway, the initial appointments were made as follows:

1. Md. Rafiqul Alam (Management): He conducted all classes for the Commerce stream.

2. Md. Shafiul Alam (Philosophy): He taught both English and Philosophy for a long period.

3. Md. Abdut Tawab (Political Science)

4. Md. Aminuddin (Bengali)

5. Nurul Islam (Economics)

6. Md. Amanul Haque (History)

7. Khairul Alam (Geography)

8. Late Mojibur Rahman (Accounting)

9. Md. Nawab Ali (Chemistry)

10. Md. Azizul Haque (Biology)

11. When Md. Nurul Islam (Economics) left, Md. Samshur Rahman was appointed. Junaidur Rahman was initially appointed as a Physical Education teacher and later transitioned into a Lecturer of Islamic History.

12. Md. Azizul Haque (Physics): Initially hired as a demonstrator who conducted Physics and Mathematics classes, he was later promoted to Lecturer of Physics.

13. Md. Abdul Majid (Management): Hired initially as the Head Clerk, he later became a Lecturer.

14. Md. Ohidul Islam: Initially hired as the Librarian, he was later appointed as a Lecturer of Bengali after Md. Aminuddin departed.

15. Md. Siddiqur Rahman (Clerk)

16. Md. Khalilur Rahman (Peon)

17. Md. Abu Ibrahim (Peon)

18. Sona Bhanu (Ayah)

19. After Fazlul Bari (Night Guard) left, Subal Mallik was hired.

With this initial group of teachers and staff, classes officially commenced at Daulatpur Pilot High School. After operating there for some time, the foundation stone of Daulatpur College was officially laid on its own land at 10:00 AM on Monday, August 3, 1986. This spot is currently known as the 'Rabindra Arts Building'. To the east of this location, an 80-foot long structure featuring the first four rooms was constructed using a tin roof and enclosures made of bamboo mats. The late Korban Ali, the then Minister of Food for Jatiya Party, donated fifty bundles of tin corrugated sheets, and the late Upazila Chairman Yaqub Ali provided significant financial help through upazila allocations.

At that stage, the infrastructure of Daulatpur College was fragile and would break or blow away whenever hit by minor storms and rain. There were initially no benches or furniture. The late Hasanul Islam Rabiul Sarkar donated a table and an almirah. Daulatpur Pilot High School donated a few benches and an almirah, allowing classes to barely function. Because the college lacked an institutional fund, buying furniture or expanding infrastructure was impossible. Under these dire circumstances, teachers often had to conduct classes out in the open, which prompted several teachers, staff, and students to leave the institution. A general perception grew that the college would never succeed or gain recognition from the education board.

Revival and Board Recognition: Witnessing this miserable state of affairs, the newly arrived Officer-in-Charge, Khan Mohammad Kabir Hossain Khan (who succeeded Mr. Sobhan), proactively took the initiative to print donation receipt books for the college, raised 15,000 taka, and sourced 40,000 bricks from various brick kilns. Furthermore, Sub-Inspector (Daroga) Md. Habibur Rahman, who was then serving at the Daulatpur Police Station, collected a significant sum of money from different individuals. These resources were used to lay the foundation stone for a 160-foot long, three-story main building (the present-day Rabindra Arts Building).

Since the Acting Principal, the late Abdul Jalil Sardar, was simultaneously the Headmaster of Daulatpur Girls' School, managing both institutions became impossible for him. Recognizing this, the Organizing Committee and local citizens called an emergency meeting on January 5, 1987. In that meeting, they appointed Md. Rafiqul Alam (former Principal) as the full-time Principal of the college. Under his efficient leadership and the tireless hard work of the teachers and staff, all institutional activities gained momentum. The members of the Organizing Committee, especially the late Shahadat Hossain, the late Tofazzel Hossain, and the late Hasanul Haque Rabiul Islam Sarkar, alongside the Principal and staff, traveled to different areas day and night to collect funds, land, and bamboo to firmly establish Daulatpur College.

Following extensive lobbying and hard work, on June 17, 1987, the Humanities and Commerce streams of Daulatpur College officially received recognition from the Jessore Education Board. However, due to a shortage of lab equipment and specialized teachers, the Science stream was initially denied recognition. To overcome this, the late teacher of Rifaitpur High School, Anwarul Kadir (Pacha Sarkar), provided equipment from his school, and the late B.Sc teacher of Daulatpur Pilot High School, A.K.M. Amanul Haque, helped immensely by providing scientific instruments from his school—contributions that remain unforgettable. After some time, following the recruitment of science teachers and by showcasing these instruments, the Science stream successfully secured recognition from the Jessore Board.

Academic Success and Modernization: In 1988, Daulatpur College secured its first Higher Secondary (HSC) examination center with 143 students and achieved an outstanding pass rate of 80%. This remarkable academic result drew an influx of students from far and wide, and the college's growing reputation began to spread in all directions. Consequently, the college was upgraded to a Degree College, introducing BA, BSS, and B.Com pass courses under the jurisdiction of the University of Rajshahi. It secured Degree recognition for BA, BSS, and B.Com in the 1991-92 academic session, followed by B.Sc recognition in the 1993-94 session. The college clinched the top position in the Khulna Division for its B.Sc pass course results, earning a prize of one lakh taka from the National University.

In 2005, two vocational trades were introduced under the Technical Education Board, a number that has now grown to 5 trades. To provide higher education opportunities for poor students in this remote region, Honors courses were introduced in 4 subjects (Sociology, Political Science, Islamic History & Culture, and Bengali) during the 2007-08 academic year. This has now expanded to 12 Honors subjects. Not only that, but Master's programs have also been launched in 3 subjects (Bengali, Sociology, and Political Science).

What once resembled a simple betel-leaf plantation (Boroj) back in 1985 has now transformed into the absolute best college in the Daulatpur Upazila. The architect of this massive evolution was the former Principal, Md. Rafiqul Alam, and that legacy of excellence is being carefully maintained by the current Principal, Md. Sadiquzzaman. In alignment with the Prime Minister's vision of building a Digital Bangladesh, all administrative operations, including attendance systems for teachers, staff, and students, are now fully automated using digital systems.