South Asian Higher Education Conference inaugurated by Chief Advisor

The three-day South Asian Higher Education Conference has begun in the capital. The South Asian Regional Conference titled ‘Current Status and Future Directions of Higher Education-2026’ was inaugurated by Chief Advisor Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
The conference, which began at Hotel Le Meridien in the capital on Tuesday (January 13) morning, will continue till January 15. Education Advisor Professor Dr. Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar was present as the special guest at the inaugural ceremony.
International delegates, including representatives from various countries of the world including the United Kingdom, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the World Bank, participated in the conference. Representatives from the UGC and Higher Education Commissions of SAARC countries including Bangladesh, vice-chancellors of universities of various countries, educationists and researchers, and diplomats are present.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh has said that the conference is being organized under the ‘Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HIT)’ project implemented by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh with funding from the Government of Bangladesh and the World Bank.
The UGC said that the conference has been organized to elevate the country’s higher education to new heights and further strengthen the Higher Education Commission Network of SAARC countries. A total of eight sessions will be held in the three-day conference. On the first day, two sessions titled ‘Current Status of Higher Education in South Asia, Good Governance and Quality and Inclusion’ and ‘Research, Innovation, Sustainability and Social Engagement’ will be held.
The second day of discussions will include topics such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration, Digital Transformation and Smart Learning Ecosystem, ‘Graduate Employability and Industry-Academic Collaboration’, ‘Future Roadmap for Higher Education: Collaboration, Empathy and Networking’, ‘Stakeholder Dialogue in Higher Education Transformation: Voices of Civil Society’ and ‘Dialogue with Vice-Chancellors: Context of HIT Project’. On the last day of the conference, after a discussion on ‘Gender Issues in Higher Education’, the conference will conclude with the ‘Dhaka Higher Education Declaration’ or Dhaka Declaration, according to the UGC.