Monowara Islam (born 1936) is a Bangladeshi professor, litterateur and language movement activist. In recognition of her contribution to the

Bengali language movement The Bengali language movement was a political movement in East Bengal (modern-day Bangladesh) in 1952, advocating the recognition of the Bengali language as a co-lingua franca of the then-Dominion of Pakistan to allow its use in government ...

, the

government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

awarded her the country's second highest civilian award

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

in 2019.

Personal life and education

Islam was born in 1936 at

Khulna Khulna (, ) is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is the administrative centre of the Khulna District and the Khulna Division. It is the divisional centre of 10 districts of the division. Khulna is also the seco ...

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...

of the then

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

(now

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

). Her father was the deputy magistrate of the then British government. She has two sons and a daughter. Islam completed her matriculation from Madaripur, Intermediate studies from

Eden Mohila College Eden Mohila College (known as Eden College), is a women's college in Azimpur, Dhaka, Azimpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 1873 in the Farashganj area of Dhaka. In 1878 the school was named after Ashley Eden, Lieutenant Governor of Be ...

in 1952 and obtained her BA from the same college. Then she earned her post graduation from

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

Career

Islam started her career by joining as head teacher at Munshiganj Girls' High School in 1957. She was then transferred to Azimpur Girls' High School. She taught a number of noted students, including Prime Minister of Bangladesh

Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina (''née'' Wazed; born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Bangladesh from June 1996 to July 2001 and again from January 2009 to August 2024. Premiership of Sheikh Hasina, Her ...

and professor Khaleda Ekram. As part of her social work, she also served as the president of the Bangladesh Federation of University Women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Islam, Monowara 1936 births Living people Recipients of the Ekushey Padak People from Khulna District Bangladeshi educators University of Dhaka alumni Eden Mohila College alumni