Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today inaugurated a three-day national workshop aimed at transforming Bangladesh’s higher education system into a more modern, inclusive and sustainable one.

The workshop, titled “Transforming Higher Education in Bangladesh: Roadmap to Sustainable Excellence,” began at 10:00am at the Nawab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban of Dhaka University.

The prime minister formally opened the workshop around 11:00am and delivered a speech.

The programme began with recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by readings from other religious scriptures.

A one-minute silence was also observed in honour of the martyrs of the July uprising.

Arranged by the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh, the inaugural session was presided over by its Chairman, Prof Dr Mamun Ahmed.

Prof Mamun presented a crest to Tarique Rahman on behalf of the UGC.

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon and the Prime Minister’s Education Adviser Mahdi Amin attended the event as special guests.

Policymakers, UGC members, vice-chancellors of public and private universities, teachers, researchers, MPs, diplomats, industry representatives and other stakeholders took part in the workshop.

Five technical sessions will be held following the inaugural ceremony.

Discussions will focus on graduate employability, soft skills and demand-driven education; industry-academia collaboration and global competitiveness; digital transformation, digital literacy and integration of artificial intelligence; faculty development, research excellence and internationalisation; and governance, quality assurance and institutional reform.

According to the UGC, recommendations from the workshop will help formulate a practical policy roadmap for improving higher education in Bangladesh.

The commission said the workshop is expected to play an important role in enhancing the quality of higher education and developing internationally competitive skilled human resources.

It will also support the government in shaping future plans and policy directions for the higher education sector.