UGC urges universities to involve industries in curricula, research

University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof Dr Mamun Ahmed has urged universities to involve industry representatives in developing and updating academic curricula and conducting research to better align higher education with labour market demands.

He also said the UGC was planning to bring industry experience into classrooms and create opportunities for university teachers to visit industrial facilities to gain practical knowledge of workplace operations and challenges.

He made the remarks while addressing an Industry-Academia Collaboration Conference at Gopalganj Science and Technology University (GSTU) on Thursday as the chief guest.

The UGC chairman said stronger collaboration between universities and industries was essential to make higher education more responsive to changing job market requirements.

He suggested inviting industry representatives to classrooms to share their practical experiences with students. He also stressed the need for teachers to visit factories and industrial facilities to understand their operations and challenges.

Prof Mamun Ahmed said, “There is a significant gap between university teaching and research and the actual needs of workplaces. Many graduates are entering the job market without the skills required by employers.”

He stressed the need to equip students with relevant skills to keep pace with developments in artificial intelligence (AI), data science and other emerging technologies.

The UGC chairman also called on industries to utilise the expertise of university teachers and researchers to address practical challenges.

GSTU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Sohel Hasan chaired the conference.

Islamic University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr AKM Matinur Rahman, Global University Bangladesh Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Anisuzzaman, Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah University Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Anisur Rahman and GSTU Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Ataur Rahman attended the event as special guests.

University teachers, officials and representatives of different industries were also present.