Nursing seminar discusses roadmap for PHD programme in Bangladesh
The 2026 Nursing Development Seminar was held on 3 March at the Renaissance Gulshan Hotel, Dhaka, as part of the "Capacity Building Project for Graduate Education and Research in Nursing in Bangladesh (2025–2029)", supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
Around 100 nurses and nursing education stakeholders from across Bangladesh attended the event, reflecting significant interest in advancing doctoral nursing education.
Held under the theme "Advancing Doctoral Nursing Education in Bangladesh: Strengthening Leadership, Research, and Health System", the seminar focused on the future direction of higher nursing education in Bangladesh, as well as policy and institutional strategies for introducing a PhD programme in nursing.
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During the event, organisers shared progress on the KOICA-supported project and the findings of a needs assessment for establishing a doctoral programme in nursing. Participants also reviewed global trends in doctoral nursing education and discussed the achievements of the master's programme at the National Institute of Advanced Nursing Education and Research (NIANER), alongside its future development plans.
Senior officials from key government and nursing institutions in Bangladesh attended the seminar and discussed policy collaboration to introduce doctoral nursing education. They included Mohammad Nora Alam Siddique, additional secretary (medical education wing); Dr Syeda Naushin Parnini, additional secretary (development wing); Dr Syeda Salma Begum, joint secretary (planning); and Farzana Mannan, joint secretary (nursing education), from the Medical Education and Family Welfare Division.
Also present were Md Anwar Hossain Akand, director general of the Directorate General of Nursing and Midwifery (DGNM), and Halima Akhter, registrar of the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council (BNMC).
The seminar is expected to serve as a platform for building policy consensus on strengthening nursing education and research capacity in Bangladesh, and for laying the groundwork to develop doctoral-level nursing professionals to support the country's healthcare system.
