Online Desk:
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has called for aligning the country’s education system with the expectations and aspirations of the youth. At the same time, he stressed the importance of reviving SAARC to strengthen mutual cooperation in higher education in South Asia.
He made these remarks as the chief guest at the inauguration of the three-day regional conference ‘Current Status and Future Directions of Higher Education in South Asia’ (SARCHE-2026)’ (SARCHE-2026) at a hotel in the capital on Tuesday (January 13) morning.
Professor Yunus said that it is very important for high-level academicians to come together in Dhaka. This conference has created a great opportunity to review the changes and developments that have taken place in the capital in the last few months, especially after the mass uprising in July 2024. He also commented that analyzing these events will make the real purpose of university education and education as a whole clearer.
The conference has been organized under the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HIT) project implemented by the Bangladesh government and the World Bank under the University Grants Commission (UGC). 30 international representatives from different countries including the UK, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and representatives of the World Bank are participating in it.
Highlighting the role of students in the 2024 mass uprising, the Chief Advisor said that the youth have their own thoughts and thoughts. They stood up and protested against the fascist regime with their lives. He commented that a big opportunity will be wasted if we do not try to understand why the youth in this city sacrificed their lives by standing up to weapons a few months ago – what were their expectations and aspirations.
As an example of motivating the students, he mentioned the letter written to the mother of martyred schoolboy Shahriar Khan Anas, where he mentioned taking to the streets with his friends as his responsibility.
Professor Yunus said that these incidents are not sudden explosions. Similar incidents have also taken place in Sri Lanka and Nepal, but in Dhaka it has happened on a larger scale. He thanked the World Bank for organizing the conference and said that such an initiative for regional cooperation falls within the responsibility of SAARC. But unfortunately SAARC has been almost forgotten today.
He said that the main philosophy of SAARC was mutual exchange and learning from each other. Since taking charge as the Chief Advisor, he has been calling for the revival of SAARC and said that he will continue to demand this.
Referring to the upcoming national elections and referendum on February 12, Professor Yunus said that the mass uprising has broken the old structure of the country. The youth have created their own July Charter and they believe that the root of the country’s problems lies in the constitution. That is why the referendum has been taken to determine the future constitution.
Questioning the role of universities in this context, he said that these subjects are not taught in the classroom. However, the youth have already formed their own political parties; in the future, some of them may be elected to parliament and even get the responsibility of the education minister.
Criticizing the current education system, the Chief Advisor said that the education system has become fundamentally job-centric, which he believes is wrong. He called for a change from the idea that the purpose of education is only to prepare people for jobs.
He said that people are creative by nature; creativity is the main strength of human civilization. Job-based education is turning those creative people into slaves. The aim of the education system should be to develop young people as entrepreneurs and change agents, not job seekers. Imagination is the greatest power of a person, and it is on the strength of that power that the youth have given life to the dream of a new Bangladesh, he said.
Education Advisor Professor Dr. C. R. Abrar spoke as the special guest at the event.
Secretary of the Department of Secondary and Higher Education Rehana Parveen and Division Director of the World Bank Jean Pesme spoke as the guests of honor at the event, chaired by UGC Chairman Professor Dr. S. M. A. Faiz. UGC Member Professor Dr. Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan delivered the welcome address.
