Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), Professor Mamun Ahmed, has said that the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) project has created the potential for a transformative shift in Bangladesh’s higher education sector.
He noted that the desired improvements in the system could be ensured if the project is implemented with transparency and timeliness. He made these remarks today (31 March) while visiting the HEAT project office at the Copyrights Building in Agargaon, Dhaka, and during an exchange meeting held on the project’s progress.
Among those present at the meeting were UGC members Professor Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan and Professor Md Saidur Rahman, Director of the Planning and Development Division Mohammad Maqsudur Rahman Bhuiyan, and other relevant officials.
At the meeting, HEAT Project Director Professor Asaduzzaman presented updates on the project’s progress, implementation challenges, and the alignment of its goals and objectives with the government’s electoral commitments regarding higher education.
The UGC chairman said the project has created an opportunity to address various structural problems in higher education. As its components are aligned with the government’s commitments in the sector, no additional initiatives or funding will be required; rather, government support will be further strengthened.
He added, “Spending funds is not the primary goal of the project; rather, it must ensure long-term positive impacts on the quality of higher education and public welfare.” He also urged stakeholders to ensure transparency, legal compliance, and ethical standards in evaluating research projects, while remaining mindful of social and political acceptability.
He emphasised maintaining timeliness in implementation, setting priorities for the next two years, and revising the Revised Development Project Proposal (RDPP) promptly. He also suggested bringing all university processes – from admission to certification – under an integrated software system, alongside arranging training to enhance administrative efficiency.
The five-year HEAT project has a total estimated cost of Tk4,016.57 crore, of which 50.96% will be financed by the Government of Bangladesh and the remaining 49.04% by the World Bank.
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