Professor Dr Zahidul Islam of the Department of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has officially taken charge as the new director of the ICT Cell at Islamic University (IU).

The handover ceremony was held at the ICT Cell director’s office on Saturday (October 31) noon. Recently, an official order signed by the university’s Acting Registrar, Professor Dr Atikul Rahman, appointed him to the position until further notice.

Those present at the handover ceremony included outgoing Director Professor Dr Shahjahan Ali, Central Lab Director Professor Dr Ruhul Amin Bhuiyan, Zia Parishad President Professor Dr Farukuzzaman Khan, Professor Dr Jasim Uddin, ICT Cell Additional Director Professor Dr Rabiul Haque Swapan, and officials and employees of the ICT Cell.

Speaking on the occasion, outgoing Director Professor Dr Shahjahan Ali said that he had to work amid structural challenges, a severe breakdown of the camera and surveillance network, and constant pressure during his tenure.

He said that after assuming office, he found most of the campus cameras and network systems completely non-functional, with inadequate facilities and resources. At times, he had to spend money from his own pocket to keep the office running.

He added that whenever a network or camera malfunctioned, resolving the problem quickly was difficult. Instead, files had to move through various offices, requiring repeated follow-ups over several days, which slowed down operations.

He expressed hope that the new director would take these challenges into consideration and manage the activities of the ICT Cell efficiently.

After taking charge, newly appointed Director Professor Dr Zahidul Islam said the ICT Cell was essentially a service-oriented department. Teachers, students and staff members of the university all depend on the office for various services.

Providing these services with limited resources and manpower is a major challenge in the context of Bangladesh, particularly at an institution like Islamic University, he added.

Sharing his personal vision for the ICT Cell, Dr Zahidul Islam said he wanted to digitally transform the entire university.

He explained that his goal was to ensure that a student’s entire academic journey—from admission and enrolment to payment of tuition fees and graduation—would be digitally recorded.

He also said he planned to introduce a system through which teachers’ salaries, leave records, promotions and other relevant information could be accessed in detail with just a single click.