'Students must be skilled, humane and innovative agriculturalists'

KHULNA, Aug 15: Member of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Prof Dr Abdullah-Al-Mamun, on Saturday said students should prepare themselves to contribute to the country’s economic development by harnessing the diverse potential of agriculture. 

He highlighted the July uprising, agricultural cards, canal excavation, digitalisation of education and various facilities for students in higher education.

He stressed knowledge- and technology-based agricultural development, taking into account the agricultural and natural diversity of different regions of the country.

He made the remarks in the Orientation-2026 programme for newly admitted students of Khulna Agricultural University (KAU) as chief guest at the auditorium of the Khulna Divisional Commissioner’s Office.

Khulna University (KU) Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Md Rezaul Karim addressed as the special guest while KAU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Asaduzzaman Sarker was the chief patron.

KAU Treasurer Prof Dr Shamim Ahmed Kamal Uddin Khan, Registrar Md Rezaul Islam, pro vice-chancellors of Khulna University and Jashore University of Science and Technology, Fultola UNO and representatives of ACI Motors, Lal Teer and Bayer Crop Science, among others, attended the programme.

KU VC Prof Dr Md Rezaul Karim greeted the freshers and recalled the sacrifices of the fighters of the July 2024 mass uprising. He also remembered Begum Khaleda Zia with respect.

He praised KAU VC Prof Dr Md Asaduzzaman Sarker for taking various initiatives despite the university’s limitations.

“Time is the most valuable asset in life. It must not be wasted in any way,” Prof Rezaul Karim told the students, urging them to make proper use of time and develop knowledge, skills and creativity to prepare themselves for the future.

Chief patron and KAU VC Prof Dr Md Asaduzzaman Sarker welcomed the new students.

He recalled with deep respect the martyrs of various democratic and rights movements, from the Language Movement of 1952 to the Liberation War of 1971, the mass movement of 1990 and the mass uprising of 2024.

Highlighting government initiatives to address climate change risks, he said there is no alternative to new technologies, research and innovation to make Bangladesh’s agriculture climate-resilient and sustainable.

On the occasion, KAU signed industry-academia Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with ACI Motors, Lal Teer and Bayer Crop Science to strengthen cooperation in agricultural education, research, technology and industry.