The ULAB Center for Enterprise and Society (CES) and the Dhaka Tribune hosted a national civil society dialogue titled “Reforming University Education in Bangladesh” on Sunday.
The event took place at the Bengal Blueberry Hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka.
The dialogue addressed the urgent need for reform in university education amidst recent political upheavals and an interim government led by civil society leaders.
Key areas of focus included modernizing curricula, incorporating skill-based learning to boost employment opportunities, and making education more inclusive.
The event featured a diverse group of distinguished speakers and attendees, including academics, corporate leaders, startup founders, NGO representatives, development professionals, and human rights activists.
Sajid Amit, director of CES, ULAB, opened the event and moderated the discussion.
Notable participants included Professor Imran Rahman, Vice Chancellor of ULAB, Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, Ilira Dewan, human rights activist, Saif Islam, Senior Program Officer at ILO, Urfi Ahmed, General Manager at VML Bangladesh, Abantee Harun, Assistant Professor at ULAB, Md Rubaiyath Sarwar, Managing Director of Innovision Consulting, and many others.
The discussion highlighted the need to integrate personal finance and wealth management into business curricula, along with local case studies on business ethics.
There was a consensus on the importance of making the curriculum industry-oriented, skills-oriented, and entrepreneurship-friendly.
The panellists agreed on allowing universities more flexibility to design their curricula rather than adhering to a standardized template and encouraging private sector professionals to teach university courses.
Further, the dialogue emphasized rethinking curricula and delivery methods to ensure gender equality, minority representation, climate resilience, and climate justice.
It was widely acknowledged that while reforms are needed across the entire educational spectrum to better prepare students for the modern economy, the university sector represents the final opportunity to address these critical requirements effectively.
