Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Monday urged universities to prioritize the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve the quality of higher education.
He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) Bangladesh Forum at a hotel in Dhaka.
The forum was held under the theme “Benchmark Bangladesh: Building World-Class Universities Through Global Standards” and attended by representatives from more than 90 universities across Bangladesh.
The minister said there is no alternative to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) if Bangladesh is to transform its large population into a skilled workforce.
He urged universities to expand TVET while also increasing the use of AI in higher education.
Milon also called on universities to strengthen research to improve Bangladesh’s position in the QS rankings and emphasized the importance of cross-border education.
He said Bangladesh has no shortage of talented teachers and students, noting that Bangladeshi students are performing well at universities abroad and achieving success in research.
“We must bring that talent back through reverse brain drain and utilize it for the country. We want to establish Bangladesh as an education hub, and we have that capability,” he said.
University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Professor Mamun Ahmed presented the keynote paper at the forum.
Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh Chairman Md Sabur Khan, American International University-Bangladesh Board of Trustees member Ishtiaque Abedin, QS Chief Commercial Officer Jason Newman and QS India Chairman Dr Ashwin Fernandes also addressed the program.