Founder and Chairperson of BRAC Sir Fazle Hasan Abed urged authorities concerned to take sufficient initiatives with strategic cohesion for teaching, research and professional faculty development in the universities for bring out qualitative changes in country’s higher education.
“A university must apply knowledge and technology to find out solutions to critical national priorities like climate impact, green economy or sustainable production…A research and development council at each university should work with the private sector to develop and support a research agenda and promote start-ups for applying research in practical field,” he said on Sunday (March 11).
He came up with the call while speaking as the keynote speaker at a conference titled ‘Assembly on Higher Education’ at Dhaka University (DU).
Department of International Relations and Department of History of DU in association with Germany based Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Bangladesh organised the programme at Senate Hall of Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building on the campus.
Honorable German Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Thomas Prinz, North South University (NSU) VC Professor Atique Islam, Independent University Bangladesh (IUB) VC Professor M Omar Rahman, Rajshahi University Pro-VC Professor Dr Ananda Kumar Saha were present as the guest of hounours. Professor Dr Nasreen Ahmad, Pro-Vice Chancellor of DU, presided over the function.
Recalling the historic 7th March speech, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed said, “Bangabandhu, the Founding Father of the nation, gave a clear call to launch our struggle for liberation. The struggle is still continuing. Our education system, including the universities and the other institutions of higher education, must be part of this struggle and make their contribution.”
Mentioning that no nation has reached a ‘developed country’ status without building a decent higher education system including some top-notch institutions which could be described as ‘world class’, he said, “We have a long walk to go”.
German Ambassador Dr Thomas Prinz while addressing the event urged to ensure effective learning processes and building problem solving capacity among students to improve the education system of Bangladesh.
Associate Professor of DU History department Dr Iftekhar Iqbal dug out some points to consider for the effective positive changes in the public universities of the country.
The recommendations are- good governance and democratic process at the universities; building a sound human resource; transparent, independent and merit based recruitment process, associate professors must be a PhD. Degree holders, formal training for newly recruited teachers, major national level research funding and establishment of research universities focusing graduate and postgraduate students.
Professor Imtiaz Ahmed of Department of International Relations of DU conducted the programme.
