DHAKA, Jan 14, 2025 (BSS) – University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC) Chairman Professor Dr SMA Faiz has said that UGC is keen to strengthen regional cooperation for improving the quality of higher education and research.

He made the call while addressing the 'Promoting South Regional Cooperation in Higher Education Conference' held in Islamabad, Pakistan, according to a press release received here today.

On the first day of the three-day conference, the UGC chairman presided over the session titled 'Higher Education for Economic Development: Orienting Higher Education to the Twenty-First Century Labor Market (Bangladesh Experience)', the release added.

He expressed UGC's commitment to providing all kinds of support to create a conducive environment for commercialization of research and innovation in higher education institutions of South Asian countries.

He emphasized on increasing cooperative relationships among higher education institutions, industries and trade organizations to implement innovative ideas.

He urged all concerned to work jointly aiming to build an effective ecosystem for research and innovation in higher education institutions in the South Asian region.

A nine-member delegation led by the UGC chairman is participating in the conference, jointly organized by the World Bank and the Pakistan Higher Education Commission.

The other members of the delegation are - Honorary Professor of Soil Water and Environment Department of Dhaka University Dr Babuna Fayez, UGC members Professor Dr Mohammad Tanzim Uddin Khan and Professor Dr Md Saidur Rahman, UGC Secretary Dr Md Fakhrul Islam, Director of Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation Project Asaduzzaman, Additional Secretary of Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education Md Hasan Maruf and UGC Director Dr Sultan Mahmud Bhuiyan.