A discussion meeting and dua mahfil were held at Dr Malika College in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, marking the founding anniversary of the institution and the birth anniversary of its founder, educationist and philanthropist Dr Malika Al-Raji.
The programme was attended by the college’s acting principal, Md Sirajul Islam, representatives of the teaching staff and other faculty members.
Speaking at the event, the participants recalled Dr Malika Al-Raji’s contribution to education and highlighted her role in establishing the college and promoting higher education among students.
The speakers also remembered her as a pioneering woman in education whose academic achievements and commitment to learning left a lasting legacy.
At present, Dr Malika College offers higher secondary education as well as bachelor’s degree programmes. The college also offers honours courses in seven subjects under the National University and master’s programmes in two subjects.
Every year, a large number of students graduate from the institution and go on to enter different professions, according to the college authorities.
Dr Malika Al-Raji was born in 1919 into an affluent Muslim family in Dhaka. She passed her matriculation examination in the first division from the then Eden Girls’ Collegiate School in Dhaka, securing seventh position among female candidates.
She subsequently completed her Intermediate from Bethune College and a BSc degree from Scottish Church College, both under the University of Calcutta.
She later obtained MSc and Bachelor of Teaching (BT) degrees in Chemistry from the University of Dhaka. She was reportedly the only female student in the MSc programme in the university’s science faculty at the time, a distinction that became a memorable milestone in her academic career.
In 1954, Dr Malika Al-Raji travelled to the United Kingdom for higher studies and later earned a PhD in Chemistry from the University of London.
She established Dr Malika College in 1982, leaving behind an institution that has since continued to provide higher and tertiary-level education to students.
