The Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Dhaka held its Dean’s Award ceremony on 14 September 2026 at the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban Auditorium, honouring 48 outstanding students from the faculty’s 16 constituent departments for their academic excellence during the 2021, 2022, and 2023 graduation sessions. Of the recipients, 31 were female and 17 were male, drawn from departments including Economics, Political Science, International Relations, Sociology, Public Administration, Anthropology, Population Sciences, Peace and Conflict Studies, Women and Gender Studies, Development Studies, Criminology, Communication Disorders, Printing and Publication Studies, Japanese Studies, Mass Communication and Journalism, and Television, Film and Photography. The award, first introduced in 2006 to recognise the highest-performing students of the faculty, is granted to those who secured first position in the first class of their BSS (Honours) final examinations, or who achieved the highest CGPA in their respective departments, provided it was not below 3.65 out of 4.00 (the threshold having been revised from 3.75 in 2020), without any break in study or record of an improvement examination. For departments that do not offer a BSS (Honours) programme, the award is instead conferred on the basis of Master’s final examination results. This year’s ceremony also recognised the contributions of faculty members, with two teachers honoured for their outstanding publications published between 2021 and 2023, selected by a dedicated panel of esteemed judges.

Professor Kazi Mohammad Mahbobor Rahman, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, chaired the event and presided over the proceedings. Professor Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Adviser to the Ministry of Finance and Planning with ministerial rank, attended as the chief guest, while the University of Dhaka’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor ABM Obaidul Islam, was present as the guest of honour. The programme was further graced by Bangladesh University Grants Commission member Professor Abdullah-Al-Mamun, Dhaka University Treasurer Professor M. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Mohammed Almujaddade Alfasane, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Abdus Salam, alongside deans of other faculties, department chairs, institute directors, provosts, teachers, and guardians of the awardees. The names of the student awardees were announced by their respective department chairs, while National Professor Mahbub Ullah announced the names of the teachers receiving recognition for their research.

In his address as chief guest, Professor Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir urged the students not to remain confined to conventional knowledge but to cultivate the habit of questioning, analysing issues through reasoning, and generating new knowledge, adding that the fundamental responsibility of a public university is to build a sense of citizenship, skills, and innovative capacity among its students, and that the University of Dhaka should evolve not merely as a teaching institution but as a centre dedicated to knowledge creation. Vice-Chancellor Professor ABM Obaidul Islam congratulated the awardees, describing the honour as a recognition of their merit and achievement while reminding them that it also carried greater responsibility, and encouraged them to engage more deeply in research and study to sustain their success. Following the formal ceremony, an open dialogue session with the award recipients was held at the Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium of the faculty, providing a platform for interaction between the university’s senior leadership, faculty members, and the newly honoured students.