Germany wants more Bangladeshi students avail their ‘excellent’ higher education with the scholarships offered through DAAD.
“There is no quota or limit for Bangladesh. We pick the best students,” DAAD Regional Director Katja Lasch said at a press briefing on Monday in Dhaka. This is her first visit to Bangladesh. She came to encourage Bangladeshi students.
German Ambassador Peter Fahrenholtz said this is the first visit of such level in many years. “We want more students and researchers of Bangladesh to come Germany,” he said.
DAAD – German Academic Exchange Service - is the Germany’s largest organization for the promotion of academic exchange. It is also the largest funding organisation in the world supporting the international exchange of students and scholars.
It offers scholarships and funding for Bangladeshi graduates and doctoral students in various fields. There are special schemes for Bangladeshi post-docs, academicians and senior scientists as well. The DAAD also provides support for the alumni.
The first Bangladeshi student went to Germany under the DAAD was in 1953. In 2018, over 200 Bangladeshi students went to Germany through DAAD scholarships. “For us higher education is public good, its not business,” the regional director, Lasch, said, adding that, “we see them (students) as bridge-builders).”
Germany is the third most popular country for international students who comprise about 14 percent of the total number of students there.
The number of Bangladeshi students studying in Germany is also increasing by the year. It was 2764 in 2017. In 2018, the number rose to 3220.
The ambassador said he is ‘not happy’ with the current number of Bangladeshi students in Germany. “We want to increase the number. You have great amount of talents. Government needs to do more for quality of education,” he said.
Those who study under the DAAD scholarships are tension free as according to the regional director. She said their scholarships cover everything from tuition to accommodation to health insurance. “So they don’t need to find part time jobs,” she said.
After completing study, they get 18 months to find a job. Three alumni – Khondker Muzaddid Haider, Mohammad Shahadat Hussain and Marufa Akther - shared their experiences at the press briefing.
Hussain who is a teacher at the North South University said he still maintains research collaboration for his students with the university where he studied.
