UGC’s 5-yr plan to improve tertiary edn

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has initiated a five-year action plan aimed at improving the quality of higher education, enhancing graduate employability and accelerating reforms across the country’s universities.

UGC Chairman Prof Dr Mamun Ahmed disclosed the plan while addressing the closing ceremony and certificate distribution programme of the second Training of Trainers (ToT) under the Senior Faculty Professional Development Programme of the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project at BRAC CDM in Savar on Tuesday night.

Speaking as the chief guest, Prof Mamun said the commission is working to bridge the gap between higher education and labour market demands by producing skilled, competent and employment-ready graduates.

As part of the reform agenda, the UGC plans to introduce mandatory internships for all fourth-year undergraduate students across all academic disciplines within the next five years. Students will be placed in industries, businesses and public and private organisations to gain practical experience. They will also receive training in soft skills and ethical values, while financial support is planned for participants.

The UGC chairman said the newly trained master trainers and national trainers would play a vital role in implementing the commission’s reform agenda by strengthening quality assurance, research, innovation, modern teaching methods and academic leadership in universities.

He added that the commission is also focusing on expanding research culture, increasing fellowship opportunities to address the shortage of qualified faculty members in universities. At the programme, 20 university teachers were certified as national trainers after completing a 10-day training course. Over the next two years, they are expected to provide professional development training to around 3,500 senior faculty members at universities across the country.

The capacity-building initiative is being implemented in three phases under the World Bank-supported HEAT Project with technical support from the British Council Bangladesh. The first phase produced 15 master trainers, while the newly certified national trainers will now lead faculty development programmes nationwide.