By – Dr Rani Pathak Das
He is a person who works with imagination, insight and boldness. A leader, who inspires, motivates and calls for the best in people and brings them together with a shared sense of purpose. A man who believes in dreaming with eyes open, a true visionary who works day and night to achieve his vision of a world class university in this north-eastern region of India, a person who has carved a niche in the field of technical and higher education in the North East within a very short period. He is none other than Mahbubul Hoque, the founder Chancellor of the University of Science & Technology Meghalaya, in short, USTM as it is known to all today.
USTM is a well-known name today mainly among the student and academic community of the region and its neighbours. Also known as the “People’s University”, USTM has attained the present status because of the missionary and entrepreneurial zeal of its founder to build educational institutions thereby making higher education available for those who are financially weak but brilliant, offering a common platform to all the youths of the North East by holding mega youth events like North East Graduate Congress, or providing a platform to all higher educational institutions of the region by organizing brainstorming sessions of Vice Chancellors like the recent one on the new National Education Policy-2019. Hoque believes in collaborating with different organizations to work for the society and has been doing this since USTM began functioning in 2011 after the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly passed a Bill for the establishment of this first private science and technology university of the region.
The journey, however, has been full of tremendous challenges and obstacles. Born in a remote village called Purbogool in Patharkandi, Karimganj district of Assam, Mahbubul Hoque has experienced a tempestuous childhood with poverty and death of parents at an early age. But the obstacles of life only strengthened his will power and he passed high school being a rank holder in Assam State level examination. He went to the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University for higher studies. When he was in Aligarh, he lost his brother in a tragic road accident who sponsored his educational expenses. The untimely death of his brother Prof. Qoumrul Hoque was a bolt from the blue and young Mahbubul had to earn his expenses by doing tuition classes. He completed MCA holding 2nd Rank in AMU and came back to Guwahati with dreams in his eyes—to serve people through education.
The year was 2001. Journey began with one assembled computer and four students in a small classroom in Ganeshguri area of Guwahati city. After that there was no looking back. Central IT College of Mahbubul Hoque became the most sought after IT education destination. It is said that God always strives together with those who strive. So it didn’t take much time for Hoque to establish Education Research and Development Foundation (ERDF) in 2005 and under its patronage a group of institutions were established—the AICTE approved engineering college named Regional Institute of Science and Technology (RIST) in 2009, two CBSE affiliated Central Public Schools in Patharkandi and Badarpur respectively, the Khairun Nessa Begum Women’s College at Badarpur, one Civil Service Coaching Centre at Guwahati, Prof Qoumrul Hoque School of Education, University School of Law & Research, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the University of Science & Technology Meghalaya. A dream project of USTM is the establishment of the ‘PA Sangma International Medical College & Hospital’, work for which is in progress.
A unique initiative of Mahbubul Hoque is the introduction and implementation of the Pay Back Policy under which students who clear competitive examinations like UGC-NET, GATE, SLET, UPSC, APSC, etc. are given back their entire course fee including admission fees which they had paid to USTM during their study period. This is no doubt a unique step and there is perhaps no such instance of returning of fees or such huge amount in any other institution of the country.
Research and Development is in the prime agenda of USTM and to promote this, USTM has signed number of MoUs with institutions such as IIT-Guwahati; Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Milia Islamia; Tezpur University; Gauhati University; UGC, Bangladesh; University of Dhaka; four top universities in Turkey; Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute and Asam Sahitya Sabha. The MoU with BBCI led to the establishment of the ERDF Patients’ Help Desk at the hospital campus which is now being run by Social Work students of USTM. USTM has also offered various PhD Fellowships like two USTM-Media Fellowships, Dr Maheswar Neog Fellowship, Syed Abdul Malik Fellowship, etc.
Offering Scholarships for free education & fee concession to meritorious students belonging to poor families especially from underprivileged rural areas is another significant action taken by ERDF. Currently, 734 students of USTM, 175 students of RIST, 85 students of KNB Women’s College, 318 students of Central Public School, Badarpur & Patharkandi are availing of these concessions. The idea is to disseminate quality education from Kindergarten to Post Graduation and to PhD. Today the institutions have an enrolment of about 8,000 students.
Some of the creative initiatives by Mahbubul Hoque include: the annual flagship event NEGC which is a unique confluence of thousands of undergraduate students from across the region, North East College Principals’ Conclave, International Conclave of Vice Chancellors, North East Media Round Table and so on. These events touch and empower different segments of the society leading USTM to be designated as the “People’s University”. Offering Honorary D.Litt., D.Sc. and Excellence Awards to credible personalities for their outstanding contributions to the society has been a tradition of the university.
Mahbubul Hoque’s vision and farsightedness has made USTM a hub of sports and cultural activities to the extent that USTM today has a rich reservoir of artistes who are adept in different dances and music of the North East. USTM has some of the best sports and cultural infrastructure. The 4,000 plus seat capacity Central Auditorium of USTM is a state of the art infrastructure with all kinds of modern facilities.
The Chancellor’s mission and vision, his emphasis on research, promotion of technology, and innovation have been appreciated by luminaries like former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi who had blessed the university by visiting the campus in different occasions. Out of the very many distinguished visitors of USTM, mention may be made of ISRO Chairman Dr AS Kiran Kumar, UGC Chairman Prof Ved Prakash, Chairman of UGC Bangladesh Prof Abdul Mannan, former UPSC Chairman Prof DP Agarwal apart from more than 50 Vice Chancellors of prestigious universities, 1500 renowned academicians and scientists from the country and abroad, most of the Governors of the north-eastern states and Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya. ERDF institutions today are attracting projects allotted by the Department of Science & Technology, Govt of India and other national and international organisations.
Being the Chancellor of USTM and Chairman of ERDF, Hoque has initiated numerous outreach activities such as Community Bank, Women’s Driving School at USTM campus, emergency treatment & medical assistance for poor & economically weaker sections of society, interest free loans, awareness campaigns & rallies/street plays, relief drives etc. Apart from this, various departments of USTM has adopted a neighbouring villages near the university campus under the USTM Neighbourhood Mission. Mahbubul Hoque’s good work has been acknowledged by the learned community with awards and recognitions. He is the winner of several outstanding national awards like Visionary Edupreneur-2017 Award, Aligarh Movement Award 2015, ‘Edupreneur Award’ 2013. Mahbubul Hoque has been able to win minds and hearts of many by virtue of his humility and simplicity and a strong belief that every citizen of this country has right to education. With an undeterred mission to realise his dream, he works round-the-clock with determination, dedication, discipline and devotion. His innovative steps and initiatives in the field of higher education have achieved great popularity and changing the scenario of higher education in the region as other institutions too have now started following the exemplary work for the benefit of the people.
(Courtesy: Eclectic NORTHEAST, October 2019)
