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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday said Bangladesh’s universities are yet to reach the expected level in global university rankings in education, research and knowledge excellence.
He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a workshop titled “Transforming Higher Education in Bangladesh” at Dhaka University this morning.
The prime minister said, “In rankings, generally research publications, citations, and innovation are given more importance. Where we stand in that case is something our educationists will surely think about more. Not only textbook-based education, if universities do not pay attention to research and innovation, it will become hard for us to survive in the competitive world.”
Tarique Rahman said a democratic government had been established in Bangladesh after more than one and a half decades, at the cost of thousands of lives.
He said the government, being accountable to the people, wants to build a safe Bangladesh for the present and future generations
“The present democratic government wants to build a knowledge-based and merit-based state and society. The main foundation of building a knowledge-based and merit-based society is to create such an environment where education, research, merit, qualification, and creativity will get the highest importance.”
“Through our joint efforts, we want such an education system that will enlighten both our present Bangladesh and future Bangladesh. For the sake of a prosperous future, we will surely embrace technological excellence.
“However, we must not lose the age-old religious, social and moral values of our state and society. In this regard, I call upon teachers, journalists, intellectuals, professionals, and people from all walks of life to remain cautious and vigilant.”
Tarique said the country must move away from a memorisation-based and certificate-dependent education system to face the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and enter the new job market.
He said that in many countries, including Britain, university alumni support research and innovation activities at their own universities.
