University teacher's training academy to be established: UGC

The government is moving to establish a University Teachers’ Training Academy to enhance the professional skills of university teachers, said UGC member Prof Abdullah-Al-Mamun on Wednesday.

He said the government was giving special priority to the education sector to fulfil its election manifesto commitment to build a modern, employment-oriented and skills-based education system.

Mamun, a member of the Public University Management Division of the University Grants Commission (UGC), made the remarks while delivering the keynote speech at an induction workshop for newly recruited faculty members at Dhaka University’s Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building.

The workshop was organised by the university’s Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC).

Highlighting the need to reform and improve the education system, Mamun said the government’s election manifesto placed emphasis on making education employment-oriented and productive.

“Alongside developing educational infrastructure, we need to focus on improving the quality of teaching, introducing modern teaching methods, strengthening research capacity and ensuring regular professional training for teachers,” he said.

The UGC member said some training programmes were already being conducted for university teachers, but no dedicated training centre had been established for teachers since independence, despite training centres being set up for professionals in various fields.

“In this situation, the present government is advancing work to establish a University Teachers' Training Academy to institutionalise teacher training,” he said, adding that government funding had already been allocated for the initiative.

The academy will provide regular professional development training for teachers of public and private universities, he said.

Mamun said the academy would not be limited to conventional classroom-based training and would offer modern facilities, including swimming and driving facilities, to provide teachers with an integrated environment for training and professional development.

He said the government’s election manifesto also prioritised modernising education, teaching a third language, industry-academia collaboration and internationalisation of education.

Teaching third languages would help create greater opportunities for students in both domestic and international labour markets, he said.

Mamun said the government was also planning to introduce Summer School and Faculty Exchange programmes in the second phase, which would expand opportunities for universities at home and abroad to exchange knowledge, experience and academic expertise among teachers and students.

He said Innovation Hubs would also be established at universities to encourage students’ innovative thinking and entrepreneurial skills.

Necessary support and funding would be made available to turn students’ new ideas, research and innovative projects into reality, he said, adding that the government’s higher education plans also included university-based Innovation Hubs, incubation centres and startup ecosystems.

The UGC member said the government would further expand opportunities for higher education and professional development for teachers.

He said the government was planning to create more posts and provide higher education opportunities, grants and other forms of support so that university teachers could pursue advanced degrees, conduct research and participate in academic activities at the international level.

Dhaka University Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) Prof Abdus Salam attended the workshop as the chief guest, while Dean of the Faculty of Arts Prof Md Abul Kalam Sarkar was present as a special guest.