Education Minister Urges Public Universities to Affiliate Government Colleges

Education Minister Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury has advised newly established public universities in Bangladesh to affiliate district government colleges to run educational programs. He made this recommendation while speaking as the chief guest at the Annual Performance Agreement (APA) signing ceremony between the University Grants Commission (UGC) and 47 public universities on Sunday, June 23.

The minister also suggested that these new universities should avoid opening new departments and focus on infrastructure development. He emphasized the need for academic monitoring and the establishment of necessary educational infrastructure to enhance the quality of undergraduate education in the affiliated colleges.

Minister Mahibul Hasan highlighted the importance of introducing diversity in university curriculums, developing academic master plans by the faculty, sharing lab and infrastructure facilities, mandating the publication of research findings, and establishing their own ranking systems.

In his speech, he underscored that education and research are pivotal for achieving the government’s development goals. However, he noted that Bangladeshi students lag in employability compared to their counterparts in other countries. Therefore, he urged universities to connect students with the country’s economy and society, providing them with skills relevant to the job market.

The minister called on vice-chancellors to take effective measures to enhance the employability of students in higher education institutions. He reiterated the importance of curriculum diversity, the creation of academic master plans, the exchange of lab and infrastructure facilities, the mandatory publication of research outcomes, and the introduction of university ranking systems.

The event, presided over by UGC Chairman (Acting) Professor Dr. Muhammad Alamgir, featured speeches from UGC members Professor Dr. Md. Sajjad Hossain, Professor Dr. Bishwajit Chanda, Professor Dr. Hasina Khan, Professor Dr. Md. Zakir Hossain, and UGC Secretary Dr. Ferdous Zaman. Representing the vice-chancellors of public universities, BUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Satya Prasad Majumder and BSMRAU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Gias Uddin Mia shared their experiences in successfully implementing the APA.

The event, conducted by UGC’s Additional Director and APA Focal Point Bishnu Mallick, was attended by vice-chancellors of 53 public universities, UGC directors, registrars, and focal point officers from 47 universities, along with other relevant UGC and university officials.