DU Correspondent 

With the  financial assistance from the Chinese government, construction work for the Bangladesh-China Friendship Hall at the University of Dhaka — estimated at a cost of Tk 244 crore — will soon commence for female students.

 To this end, the Chinese authorities sent a letter to the DU administration through the Ministry of Education on April 30, requesting specific information in a prescribed format. In response, the university provided the requested details on May 6. After verification, the Chinese authorities will begin the construction work shortly.

Once implemented, this project will provide residential facilities for 1,500 female students. The project was approved by the Socio-Economic Infrastructure Division of the Planning Commission on March 11. It has also been included in the list of foreign-aided projects under the Revised Annual Development Programme (RADP) for the fiscal year 2024–2025.

It is worth noting that, to address the accommodation crisis for students, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Niaz Ahmad Khan held several meetings with Planning Ministry Advisor Professor Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud. Additionally, he discussed project acceleration with ERD Secretary Shahriar Kader Siddiky and Secretary of the Socio-Economic Infrastructure Division Dr. Kaiyum Ara Begum.

Under the broader DU development project, with an estimated cost of Tk 2,841.86 crore, four more dormitories for female students and five for male students — along with various new buildings — will be constructed. This will provide housing for approximately 3,000 female and 5,100 male students.

At the same time, under a separate project estimated at Tk 151.53 crore, 168 old and dilapidated buildings of Dhaka University will be renovated, preserved, and beautified.