Bangladesh, UK discuss partnership to improve education quality

Prime Minister's Education Adviser and his office spokesperson Mahdi Amin has stressed the effective implementation of the government’s priority plans to improve the quality of education and develop a modern and skilled workforce.

He made the remarks at a meeting with the British High Commission and the British Council at the British High Commission in the capital’s Baridhara on Thursday.

The meeting discussed the impact and future activities of the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) project, funded by the World Bank and supported by the British Council.

The participants expressed interest in establishing international-standard British universities in Bangladesh.

Mahdi Amin said the government would provide all necessary support if any institution or investor was interested in establishing an international-standard university in the country.

He said the government was working to expand opportunities for higher education while creating an international-standard environment for education and research.

The meeting also discussed various initiatives to improve the quality of higher education, develop skills and promote innovation, as well as align the education system with international standards.

The participants also expressed interest in implementing the Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework to maintain the overall quality of education and ensure international recognition.

Mahdi Amin said education was one of the government’s key priorities and that it was working to improve the quality of education, equip students for future employment and expand opportunities for research and innovation in higher education.

He outlined various government initiatives, including introducing third-language education, expanding access to technical education, establishing technical education institutions at the upazila level, introducing mandatory technical laboratories, modernising laboratory facilities, setting up multimedia classrooms and providing free Wi-Fi for students.

At the university level, initiatives include establishing ecosystem offices, creating startup funds, strengthening innovation activities, introducing career counselling offices and organising job fairs to improve links between students and employers, he said.

The adviser also said the government was taking steps to introduce student loan programmes for students interested in pursuing higher education abroad.

The meeting also reviewed the experiences of teachers and trainers trained under the HEAT project, its impact and future activities. Participants stressed greater coordination among stakeholders to make higher education quality improvement, skills development and innovation initiatives more effective.

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke, British Council Chief Executive Scott McDonald, British Council Bangladesh Country Director Stephen Forbes, University Grants Commission Chairman Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed, UGC member Prof Dr Masuma Habib, HEAT Project Director Prof Dr Asaduzzaman, World Bank Senior Education Specialist TM Asaduzzaman, and vice-chancellors of Dhaka University, BRAC University and North South University, among others, attended the meeting.

Later, Mahdi Amin held a bilateral meeting with British Council Chief Executive Scott McDonald. They discussed strengthening the existing partnership between the Bangladesh government and the British Council in education, identifying new areas of cooperation and various government initiatives in the sector.