Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)– Bangladesh has achieved significant progress, especially in promoting academic innovation in the country’s higher education institutions, said a project report of the World Bank.
The Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP) has provided the universities of Bangladesh much needed research infrastructure to bring forth more innovation in research), finds an interim impact assessment of the project.
“The project, in its fifth year of implementation, has recorded significant progress, especially in promoting academic innovation in the country’s higher education institutions through two rounds of the Academic Innovation Fund (AIF),” said a World Bank press release on “Improving Quality of Higher Education and Promoting Academic Innovation".
The World Bank is providing a total of US$206 million for the project.
The HEQEP in the form of state-of-art equipment and instruments for science laboratories, modernised computer labs and digital libraries have been providing the facilities.
The Bangladesh government with the support from the World Bank has been implementing the HEQEP through the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The project promotes academic innovation in both public and private universities through a competitive funding mechanism, known as AIF.
The successful implementation of the project led to US$125 million in additional financing from the World Bank.
The project has worked with universities to establish science labs, computer labs, library automation systems, campus network and provide access to books and journals for the students and faculty members of universities to spur academic innovation in Bangladesh universities.
The call for proposal for the third round of AIF was announced on February 8, 2014.
The completed proposals from the eligible 46 universities (32 public and 14 private) have been received by UGC on March 2014.
The UGC Digital Library created by the project is now providing science, engineering and medical journals to teachers and students free of cost through specialised e-resource providers.
Thirty-five universities have already been connected to the Bangladesh Research and Education Network (BdREN) and establishment of the basic infrastructure backbone to connect all remaining public universities by January 2015 is progressing well.
The government is working to put in place a National Quality Assurance and Accreditation Council, which will be a breakthrough in ensuring that quality degree programs are delivered by the universities of Bangladesh.
BBN/ANS/AD/21Apr14-8:30pm (BST)
