A large-scale change would take place in the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) within the next two months.
“We hope that a very remarkable change is going to take place. We are working hard to take our prestigious university to the new height alongside making the institution a research hub,” Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed, vice-chancellor of SUST told Bangladesh Post on Thursday.
The vice-chancellor expressed his firm determination, saying the university authority wants to develop the institution as a model.
Besides, the university authority also wants to set an example through its activities.
Apart from running academic activities, conducting research, practicing extra-curricular activities and arranging seminars and workshops on various crucial issues, the university authority is also implementing various development projects including expansion of cafeteria building.
The university authority has also started constructing four modern food courts surrounding the Mukto Mancho on the campus.
“There will be no problem for the students for having good and safe food,” Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed added.
The SUST believes the quality of education refers to the fitness of the university graduates to meet the needs of stakeholders in terms of knowledge, skills, attitudes and performance.
And it depends on the institutional fitness for the purposes in terms of capacity and process to attain intended learning outcomes.
Therefore, this will help student take their living standard to a new height and it will also create congenial atmosphere on the campus.
The university had witnessed a month-long deadlock since January 16 to February 13 due to student movement demanding removal of Vice-chancellor professor Farid Uddin Ahmed.
Many students were injured as police entered the campus and used truncheons, rubber bullets and sound grenades on them.
But the teachers, students and employees of the university have created a beautiful and peaceful atmosphere on the campus amid all odds.
The university authority is also working to continue all sorts of academic activities and make the institution free from session jam at any cost.
“As the university authority is determined to make the institution free from session jam, it is coming up with various measures so that students would not suffer session jam,” the Vice Chancellor added.
The SUST also wants to make significant progress in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University ranking at any cost.
“In this context, teachers and students of the university have also paid more attention to conducting researches in order to build skilled human resources for the country as it thinks a country cannot go ahead without scientific research work,” Professor Farid Uddin Ahmed told this correspondent in an exclusive interview.
Lack of support to research and a dearth of quality publications are the main reasons for Bangladeshi universities’ lagging behind in most of the world rankings.
“Therefore, if we want to take the country forward by continuing the trend of development, we have to attain knowledge through quality education and research,” he said.
“We think our university will be turned into hub of research for generating knowledgeable and competent nation-building workforces.”
In this regard, we think a master plan will have to be prepared for education, research and infrastructural development of the university.
He said to meet this goal, they are in good position in terms of research as they spend five percent equivalent to taka eight crore out of the total budget in this sector.
“Our teachers and students are coming up with innovative ideas and conducting more basic and applied research to contribute to the development of the nation.”
“And, we would also have to conduct more researches in every sector particularly on the potential ones to make our development sustainable.”
Therefore, the researchers will find out the most potential sectors for research that needs more investment, keeping the country’s climate, soil and water in mind to expedite its development.
In this regard, country’s prestigious university like SUST is playing the leading role to elevate the country’s quality of education to the highest level, he claimed.