The University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) has placed 46th in the World's Universities with Real Impact (WURI) Ranking for 2020. ULAB is the only Bangladeshi university on the list.
To observe this achievement, the university held an online celebration at 7pm on July 15, said a statement.
The Deputy Minister for Education, Mr Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, graced the event as chief guest, and Prof Md Sazzad Hossain, member of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh, attended as the special guest.
Congratulating ULAB on its achievement, lawmaker Mohibul praised the university for advancing its quality by adapting innovative curricula and focusing on student-centered learning, said the press release.
He also hoped that ULAB's achievement would serve as a guide to others on how to create quality human resources.
The deputy minister said: “We want ULAB to take the initiative to introduce short courses and alternative routes to eliminate the skill gap.
“This has to be done so that we can become self-sufficient in different areas like teaching, standard and measurable education, and industry-oriented qualifications, making sure that it will be open to non-traditional students irrespective of age.”
He said quality private universities like ULAB should be given permission to offer MPhil and PhD degrees, and promised to work with the UGC in this regard.
Dr Md Sazzad Hossain said: “ULAB has the resources, like its IoT Lab, and the capability to offer high quality education and become one of the leaders in education in the region.”
He also talked about the value of the WURI ranking that is determined by a group of four reputed global institutions with a focus on innovation and creativity.
Prof Jude William Genilo, head of the Department of Media Studies and Journalism at ULAB, described the process of the university’s application and achievement of a position in a list led by Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
He also said ULAB is entrenched in the new educational paradigm that is market-centric, technology-driven, and believes that learning is lifelong.
Mr Ahmed Raqib, president of the ULAB Alumni Association, spoke on behalf of the alumni body.
As an alumnus, Raqib noted how the innovative curriculum he and other students experienced at ULAB continues to determine their high quality performance in their respective workplaces.
The program began with ULAB’s theme song, followed by ULAB Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof HM Jahirul Haque’s welcome speech. Lawmaker Kazi Nabil Ahmed, a member of ULAB’s Board of Trustees, spoke at the ceremony as well.
National Professor Dr Rafiqul Islam, ULAB’s Board of Trustees member Mrs Ameenah Ahmed, ULAB Pro VC Prof Shamsad Mortuza, Treasurer Prof Milan Kumar Bhattacharjee, and Registrar Lt Col Foyzul Islam (Retd), were among others who joined the online celebration.
The event was conducted by Prof Imran Rahman, special advisor to the ULAB Board of Trustees, and dean of the ULAB School of Business.
