The University Grants Commission (UGC) is finalising a five-year national action plan to modernise Bangladesh's higher education sector, with reforms focused on employability, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, research and internationalisation.
The proposed National Action Plan for Higher Education Transformation: Achieving Sustainable Excellence (2026–2030) aims to align universities with global academic standards while better preparing graduates for changing labour market demands and rapid technological advancement.
The draft roadmap was discussed on Thursday at a meeting chaired by Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon at the UGC headquarters. Senior officials from the Ministry of Education and the UGC attended the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, the minister said the roadmap for transforming higher education should be developed under the leadership of the UGC, describing the commission as the country's central regulator and coordinator of the university system.
He said the UGC's leadership must become more effective and dynamic to raise higher education to the expected standard. He also urged policymakers to study successful higher education reforms implemented in countries including China, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Pakistan, while adapting suitable approaches to Bangladesh's own context.
Milon said the government's objective extends beyond producing academically successful graduates. It aims to develop students' talents to their fullest potential through quality education, skills development and innovation.
He also called on universities to attract more international students and position Bangladesh as a regional destination for higher education. To achieve that goal, he stressed the need for a coordinated national policy covering foreign student admissions, academic collaboration and broader internationalisation.
The minister added that Bangladesh's large population could become a major national asset through strategic investment in higher education, research, innovation and workforce skills.
UGC Chairman Prof Dr Mamun Ahmed said the long-term reform initiative had been designed to prepare the country's universities for evolving global realities, technological change and future labour market requirements.
He said the draft action plan was prepared based on recommendations from the recent national workshop on higher education transformation held at Dhaka University in the presence of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, together with the government's policy priorities and the UGC's strategic plan.
According to the chairman, the roadmap is built around five strategic priorities: improving graduate employability through demand-driven education and stronger university-industry collaboration; accelerating digital transformation and artificial intelligence; enhancing teacher development and professional skills; promoting research excellence, innovation and internationalisation; and strengthening governance, quality assurance and institutional reform.
The plan sets targets for all universities to introduce outcome-based education, career development centres, internship and graduate employment tracking systems, learning management systems, digital administration and AI-supported teaching by 2030.
"The plan also includes doubling the number of research publications and patents, expanding international research and academic partnerships, building an integrated national higher education database, and establishing Bangladesh as one of the regional hubs for higher education and research," Mamun said.
He said the UGC would hold consultation meetings with vice-chancellors of public and private universities, academics, industry representatives, development partners and civil society organisations before finalising the document.
"The plan will be finalised based on the opinions and recommendations of the stakeholders concerned and then placed before the Ministry of Education for implementation," he said, while seeking the ministry's full support for its timely execution.
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