Staff Correspondent

Teachers concerned have been alleging nepotism, politicization, irregularities, and lack of transparency in the Tk. 4000 crore Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project being implemented by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh. 

However, the UGC claimed  that incomplete and one-sided news published in print and online media regarding the evaluation process has created some confusion about the overall transparency and accountability of the project.

On Wednesday, through a statement sent by Dr. Shamsul Arefin, Director of UGC’s Public Relations and Publications Department, the UGC provided clarification regarding the allegations made in the media reports on the HEAT project.

In order to prevent any misunderstanding among the public and the academic community, the University Grants Commission (UGC) authorities issued the clarification in the statement.

The UGC claimed in the statement that every activity of the HEAT project has been carried out under close supervision and approval of both UGC and the World Bank, and that the final results of all windows have not yet been published. For the windows whose results have already been announced, and for the sub-projects that have not been finally selected, the project proposers have been given the opportunity to appeal for reconsideration of their proposals until 24 August 2025.

It was further stated that in order to dispel all kinds of confusion, UGC and the project authorities will resolve the appeals submitted on the basis of sub-project proposals while maintaining the highest level of transparency.

The statement mentioned that the UGC firmly believes that the institution has always carried out all its activities ensuring transparency and accountability. In this progress, UGC sincerely expects constructive and positive cooperation from the media.

It has been learned that to present the overall aspects of the sub-project evaluation process, a press conference has been organized at 3:00 PM on 26 August 2025 in the UGC conference room. In the presentation and question–answer session, journalists will have the opportunity to gain a clear understanding of various aspects of the project.