Educational institutions receive no official instructions for observing Martyred Intellectuals Day
While programs have been scheduled in educational institutions for National Victory Day on December 16, no official instructions have been issued for the observance of Martyred Intellectuals Day on December 14.
Universities, however, have independently arranged programs to mark both occasions.
Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (MauShi) issued directives to educational institutions across the country on Thursday to implement the Ministry of Education’s instructions for National Victory Day celebrations. These directives were uploaded to the directorate’s website. As of 8pm, no guidance had been provided for Martyred Intellectuals Day.
The Ministry of Education, in coordination with the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, has requested all ministries and departments to implement the steering committee’s decisions for Victory Day 2025. The committee’s guidelines include flag hoisting at 9 a.m., performance of the national anthem, student assemblies, parades, and displays. Schools, colleges, and madrasas will organize sports tournaments—including T20 cricket, football, kabaddi, and ha-du-du—alongside cultural programs.
Martyred Intellectuals Day programs at Dhaka University
On December 14, black flags will be hoisted at 6:20 am on the Vice Chancellor’s building and other key university buildings. At 6:30 a.m., a gathering will be held at the base of “Unconquerable Bengal,” followed by wreath-laying at the central mosque graveyard, Jagannath Hall memorial, and residential area memorials under the leadership of Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Niaz Ahmad Khan.
The procession will proceed to the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals Memorial and Rayerbazar Killing Field Memorial for further wreath-laying. At 11:15 a.m., a discussion session will be held at the Student-Teacher Centre auditorium, chaired by the Vice-Chancellor. In the afternoon, prayers for the martyrs’ souls will be offered at the central mosque, Masjidul Jamia, and other campus halls and places of worship.
National Victory Day programs
On December 16, the national flag will be hoisted at 6:20 am on the Vice-Chancellor’s building and other important university buildings. Participants will gather at 6:30am. at Chattor Smriti Chironton, followed by a procession to the Savar National Memorial for wreath-laying, led by DU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Niaz Ahmad Khan and attended by university teachers, students, officers, and staff.
At 5:45 pm, a cultural program organized jointly by the Department of Music, Department of Dance, and the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies will be held at the Student-Teacher Centre. Evening prayers will be offered at the central mosque, Masjidul Jamia, and other campus halls for the martyrs’ souls and the nation’s prosperity. Additional prayer sessions will be conducted at other places of worship across the campus.
On December 15-16, key university buildings—including Kala Bhaban, Carzon Hall, the Student-Teacher Centre, and Smriti Chironton—will be decorated with lights. Residential halls will host exhibitions and film screenings depicting the Martyred Intellectuals and the Liberation War, including documentary screenings.
