The first meeting of the Steering Committee formed to organize the South Asian Regional Higher Education Cooperation Conference was held on Wednesday at the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh.
The meeting was presided over by UGC Chairman Prof Dr. SMA Faiaz. UGC members Prof Dr. Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan, Prof Dr. Mohammad Anwar Hossain, Prof Dr. Md. Saidur Rahman, UGC Secretary Dr. Fakhrul Islam, Joint Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education Md. Saidur Rahman, Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lokman Hossain, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Mu. Billal Hossain Khan, Project Director of Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project Professor Dr. Asaduzzaman, and World Bank Senior Education Advisor Dr. Md. Mahmud-ul-Haque, along with relevant consultants and officials of UGC and HEAT project, were present.
In the meeting, two committees the Organizing Committee and the Technical Committee were formed, with UGC members Professor Dr. Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan and Professor Dr. Md. Saidur Rahman appointed as conveners. These committees include members from UGC and officials from relevant ministries.
The meeting also discussed issues related to the conference, including its agenda, selection of guests, venue and schedule, visits, and the organization of cultural programs. Additionally, a decision was made to adopt the “Dhaka Declaration” on higher education cooperation during the conference.
UGC Chairman Professor Faiaz stated that the South Asian Regional Higher Education Cooperation Conference is not just a UGC event but a national one. He remarked that participants would exchange views on best practices from SAARC member countries’ universities, which would contribute to the advancement of higher education. He sought the cooperation of all concerned to successfully organize the international conference.
It is worth mentioning that UGC is working to organize a three-day regional higher education conference in Dhaka this December, involving UGC representatives from SAARC countries.
Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Honorable Chief Advisor, will be invited as the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the conference.
Representatives from the UGCs of the eight SAARC countries, as well as from Africa and Asia, along with vice-chancellors, academics, and researchers from various universities in Bangladesh, will be invited to the conference.
The objective of the conference is to unite the UGC network of South Asia, strengthen collaborative attitudes for improving education, innovation, and research in universities, and determine the future course of action for the advancement of higher education.
This conference will be funded under the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project implemented by UGC.
