UGC plans to expand Fulbright scholarships for Bangladeshis

The University Grants Commission (UGC) is taking an initiative to increase the number of master’s and PhD scholarships for Bangladeshi teachers, researchers and students under the US-funded Fulbright programme, according to the press release issued by UGC on Thursday.

As part of the initiative, the UGC plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Fulbright programme to expand academic cooperation, faculty and researcher exchanges, and joint research between universities in Bangladesh and the United States.

The decisions were made at a meeting between UGC officials and representatives of the Public Diplomacy Section of the US Embassy in Dhaka at the UGC headquarters in Agargaon on Wednesday.

UGC Chairman Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed said expanding knowledge, skills and experience-sharing between local and foreign universities was essential to internationalising higher education in Bangladesh.

He stressed the need to strengthen two-way academic exchanges so that Bangladeshi teachers and researchers could gain international experience while foreign academics could contribute to teaching and research at local universities.

Faculty and researcher exchanges, along with joint research, could play an important role in improving the quality of higher education, generating knowledge, promoting innovation and expanding international cooperation, he said.

The UGC is also planning to launch a programme titled “UGC-Fulbright”, which would include PhD scholarships for research in priority sectors of Bangladesh.

At the meeting, Scott Hartmann, acting public affairs counsellor at the US Embassy, outlined different aspects of the Fulbright programme, including the Fulbright Foreign Student Programme.

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The meeting decided to form a joint working committee comprising representatives of the UGC and the US Embassy to identify potential areas of cooperation and determine an implementation framework.

The committee will also prepare a draft MoU to facilitate the proposed collaboration.

The Fulbright programme, sponsored by the US Department of State, was established in 1946 at the initiative of US Senator J William Fulbright. It promotes mutual understanding and cooperation among people of different countries through educational, research and cultural exchanges.