Professor emeritus of Dhaka University (DU) Najma Chowdhury has passed away.
The prominent academic, who pioneered in establishing women studies in Bangladesh, breathed her last at a Dhaka hospital on Sunday morning.
The namaz-e-janaza of the 79-year-old will be held at the Azad Masjid in Gulshan following Asr prayers.
According to her family sources, she will be buried at the Banani Graveyard.
Prof Najma established the women and gender studies department (initially women studies department) at DU back in 2000 and served as the department chairperson for three years.
She was honoured the "Rokeya Chair" by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2007.
The educationist received the “Ekushey Padak” for her outstanding contribution to research in 2008.
She was an adviser to the first caretaker government of Bangladesh in 1996.
Prof Najma completed graduation and post-graduation from DU’s political science department and later joined the department as a lecturer in 1962.
She got a Commonwealth Scholarship to attain a PhD from SOAS, University of London in 1966.
Prof Najma received her PhD degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University in 1966 after which returned to Bangladesh in 1972.
She was the chairperson of the political science department of DU from 1984 to 1987 and introduced women empowerment and development related courses in the department.
Najma Chowdhury served as a visiting scholar at the University of Minnesota in 1988 under Fulbright fellowship for three months.
The book titled “Women and Politics Worldwide,” co-authored by Prof Najma and her friend of Barbara Nelson – an American political scientist and public policy scholar – won the Victoria Schuck Award in 1995.
She attended the General Assembly of the UN in 1978 and 1986 as a representative of Bangladesh and also attended Unesco general conference in Belgrade in 1980.
She participated in World Conference on Women in Nairobi in 1985 and Preceding the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995.
Prof Najma also served as president of Women for Women.
