Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam was an enlightened teacher who viewed education and teaching not merely as a profession, but as a moral pursuit and a human responsibility, said speakers at a memorial in BRAC University recently.
Professor Manzoorul believed that the true goal of education was not simply to acquire information or degrees, but to awaken knowledge, beauty, and human values within the learner—nurturing minds that are not only informed but also humane and socially conscious, they said.
Known to his students and colleagues as SMI, Professor Manzoorul, revered for his teaching, literary brilliance, and principled engagement with Bangladesh’s cultural and civic spheres, breathed his last on 10 October 2025 while undergoing treatment at Labaid Hospital in Dhaka.
The memorial was organized by the Department of English and Humanities, where he used to teach literature courses.
Professor Manzoorul was the founding adviser of the department and a key member of the team that designed its curriculum.
Students read out short stories, and Associate Professor Asifa Sultana and Assistant Professor Syeda Farzana Sultana, former students of Professor Manzoorul at the University of Dhaka who went on to become his colleagues, rendered Rabindra Sangeet.
The program ended with a video compiled by Lecturer Shakika Rubaiat urging the youth to follow in Professor Manzoorul’s footsteps in leaving a meaningful mark in the world.
The memorial featured heartfelt tributes from friends and colleagues, including Rasheda K Chowdhury, member, board of trustees, BRAC University; Pro-Vice-Chancellor Arshad Mahmud Chowdhury, Professor Emeritus Manzoor Ahmed, and Md Golam Samdani Fakir, director, Learning and Teaching Innovation Centre.
Professor Firdous Azim, chairperson of the Department of English and Humanities; Professor Sabiha Huq, Zainab Farooqui Ali, chairperson of the Department of Architecture; Tazin Aziz Choudhury, chairperson, Department of English, University of Dhaka; Professor Tahmina Ahmed, academic and writer Professor Fakrul Alam, and researcher and journalist Afsan Chowdhury were also present.