News and Opportunities
Round table discussion in Bangladesh
16 May 2012
Austrade Dhaka recently organised a roundtable discussion, Promoting Australian education in Bangladesh: what local government agencies, Austrade and education representatives can do, at the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) office in Dhaka. The discussion revealed strong support and recognition from key stakeholders in Bangladesh for Australian education.
The meeting was attended by UGC Chairman and Honourable State Minister Dr AK Azad Chowdhury, key members of the Australian Education Agents’ Association of Bangladesh (AEAAB) including the president, vice president, general secretary and treasurer.
The objective of the meeting was to discuss current opportunities and future challenges in promoting Australian education in Bangladesh.
During the discussion, the minister recognised the high quality of education offered by Australian institutions. He was also appreciative of the contribution made by Australian education providers and government agencies in Bangladesh in different areas such as sanitation, primary education and fostering relations between education institutions of both countries.
The minister added that he would like to see more scholarship opportunities offered to students of Bangladesh in studying at Australian universities. He also expressed that he would like to see reduced tuition fees for students to make way for more student enrolments from Bangladesh.
Discussing the role of agents, the minister asked the members of AEAAB to ensure that they maintained quality of service and professionalism in their operation. He also asked them to ensure that they represent only quality Australian education institutions.
Austrade’s Business Development Manager, Mr Mustafizur Rahman, briefed the minister on the upcoming activities in association with AEAAB to promote Australian education, including the education seminars to be held in tier-two cities of Bangladesh, for which he expressed support.
Highlights of the discussion indicate on-going support from key stakeholders in Bangladesh toward the promotion of Australian international education. This support is key to taking forward promotion of Australian education to tier-two cities of Bangladesh and expand the market for Australian education in the country.