Hoque, Khan Bahadur Mohammad Ziaul

Hoque, Khan Bahadur Mohammad Ziaul (1895-1958) educationist, Principal of Madrasa-e-Alia of Kolkata and of Madrasa-e-Alia, Dhaka. His father was Alhaj Moulvi Mohammad Amanat Ali. Ziaul Hoque was born in 1895 at village Muhammadpur in Sandwip thana of Chittagong district. He passed Chaharam central examination in 1913 in first division and obtained government talentpool scholarship. He passed Entrance examination in 1917 from Municipal School, Chittagong and BA from Chittagong College in 1921. He obtained MA degree in Arabic in 1923 and in Persian in 1924 from Calcutta University.

After the opening of the Department of Arabic and Persian in Dhaka University in 1924 Ziaul Hoque was appointed as Professor of the department and served as Professor and Head of the Department till 1926. Later he worked in Feni College and was the Professor of Arabic and Persion in Presidency College, Kolkata in 1927. Ziaul Hoque was the Principal of Rajshahi Government Madrasa (1930), Hoogly Islamic Intermediate College (1941) and of Calcutta Madrasa-e-Alia (1943). In 1947 under the leadership of Ziaul Hoque Madrasa-e-Alia was bifurcated and the Madrasa was transferred to former Islamic Intermediate College, Dhaka (present Kabi Nazrul Government College). Ziaul Hoque was a member of the committee of distinguished educationists formed by the East Bengal Provincial Government in March 1949 to the restructuring of the education system. The recommendation of this committee was: 'it would not be wise to impart primary education except through mother tongue', and strong opinion in favour of the Bangla language was expressed. During his tenure of office the Department of Ilm-e-Kerat and Tajbid was introduced in the Madrasa. Ziaul Hoque retired from service in 1954. He wrote some books which include Hedayatun Nahu (Arabic grammar), Rhetorical Prosody, Al-Muqtatof.

Mohammad Ziaul Hoque was the Registrar of Madrasa Education Board of the Government of East Bengal, Vice President of Bengal Madrasa Board, Member of Calcutta University Senate, Member of Executive Council and Academic Committee of Dhaka University, Member of Asiatic Society, and Member of Mawla Committee, Khuda Baksh Committee and Moazzem Committee on education. The British Government adorned him with the title of 'Khan Bahadur' in 1934 in recognition of his contribution in the field of education. He established a book publishing house named Mawla Brothers in Dhaka in 1956.

He died in Dhaka on 15 April 1958. [Belal Mohammad]