UGC to introduce 3 skill-development courses at universities

UGC member Prof Dr Abdullah-Al-Mamun disclosed the decision while addressing a discussion titled "Bridging Academia and Industry for Sustainable Development: Research Excellence, Innovation and Industrialization" as the chief guest.

Begum Rokeya University's Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) organised the discussion yesterday, with the university's Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Shawkat Ali in the chair.

Prof Mamun said academic knowledge alone was not enough to ensure success in the job market, stressing the need for students to develop additional professional skills alongside their academic studies.

"Alongside academic education, students must also develop skills in information technology, job preparation, communication, professional conduct and ethics," he said.

He said the three courses would cover Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), employability skills and ethics and professionalism.

The courses will be introduced under the UGC's Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) project to help students acquire the skills needed in modern workplaces, he added.

Mamun said the incumbent government's election manifesto had emphasised modernising the education sector, promoting third-language education, strengthening industry-academia collaboration and internationalising education.

He also urged students to develop their soft skills and prepare themselves to become entrepreneurs rather than relying solely on job opportunities.

Teachers, researchers, students and other relevant stakeholders of the university attended the discussion, reports BSS.