UGC, British Council partner to enhance higher education quality

The University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh, under its Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) project, has signed a partnership agreement with the British Council to enhance the quality of higher education in Bangladesh.

The agreement aims to strengthen academic leadership, faculty development, and institutional quality across the country's higher education system. It was signed recently at the House of Lords in the United Kingdom, hosted by Baroness Rosie Winterton, the UK Trade Envoy to Bangladesh.

Stephen Forbes, Country Director of British Council Bangladesh, and Professor Asaduzzaman, Director of the HEAT project, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.

Under the partnership, the British Council, in collaboration with UK-based organisation Advance HE, will support the HEAT project in advancing faculty development, academic leadership, and institutional capacity-building. The initiative aligns with the Government of Bangladesh's vision for a globally competitive higher education sector. It will also promote alignment with international standards and establish a sustainable professional development framework for university academics and leaders.

The signing ceremony was attended by Baroness Wendy Alexander, Vice Chair of the British Council and Member of the House of Lords, and Professor SMA Faiz, Chairman of UGC. Other attendees included UGC Members Professor Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan and Professor Masuma Habib; Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan; BUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Abu Borhan Mohammad Badruzzaman; North South University Vice-Chancellor Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury; BRAC University Registrar, Dr David Dowland; World Bank Senior Education Specialist and HEAT Project Task Team Leader, T M Asaduzzaman; World Bank Lead Economist, Dr Harsha Aturupane; Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK, Abida Islam; British Council Bangladesh Education Head, Toufiq Hasan; and HEAT Project Deputy Director, Mohammad Khorshed Alam.

UGC Chairman, Professor SMA Faiz, said, "This partnership with the British Council represents a timely and strategic step in Bangladesh's higher education reform journey. Together with the British Council and Advance HE, we are investing in leadership, teaching excellence, and institutional quality—building the foundations for a globally connected higher education system."

Stephen Forbes, Country Director of British Council Bangladesh, said, "The British Council's long-standing partnership with the UGC reflects our shared ambition to enhance quality, governance, and leadership within higher education. This agreement reaffirms that commitment and opens the door to deeper collaboration in the years ahead."

Baroness Rosie Winterton, who hosted the signing, remarked, "This partnership reflects the UK's enduring collaboration with Bangladesh in education and skills, and our shared belief that education is the most powerful bridge between nations."