UGC takes up Tk 681cr project on higher edn, research

The University Grants Com-mission has undertaken a Tk 681 crore project titled ‘Higher Education Quality Enhance-ment Project’ for improving the quality of higher education and research in the country, reports UNB.
The International Development Association, a soft lending arm of the World Bank, will provide Tk 598.48 crore while the government will finance the remaining Tk 82.56 crore to implement the five-year project with the UGC as the project coordinator.
‘The main objective of the project is to improve the quality and importance of the teaching and research environment in higher educational institutions,’ UGC chairman Professor Nazrul Islam, said while addressing a media orientation programme at the CIRDAP auditorium in the capital on Saturday.
Nazrul presided over the programme, addressed by project director Rukonuddin Ahmed, UGC member Professor Amena Begum, Professor Tajul Islam, Professor Ehsanul Haque and Professor Monjurul Hakim.
Speaking on the occasion, project director Rukonuddin said the enhancement project consisted of four components — academic innovation fund, Bangladesh research and education network, building institutional capacity of the UGC and the universities, and project management.’
“There will be two phases of proposal invitation in the duration of the enhancement project, he added.
According to an UGC official, more than Tk 372 crore will be allocated in the first phase under the academic innovation fund component. Thirty five per cent of the fund grant, which is about Tk 130.2 crore, will be available for the first phase while the remaining 65 per cent will be provided during the second phase.
The academic innovation fund is designed to be awarded to participating public and private universities as non-refundable grant to promote innovative proposals for quality development.
Earlier, on April 5 last year, the government of Bangla-desh and the World Bank signed a financing agreement to implement the project.
The enhancement project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council on October 23, 2008.

Courtesy of UNB via NewAge