Dr. Mesbah Uddin Tuhin : Bangladesh Open University (BOU) is making its all-out efforts towards building a ‘Smart Bangladesh’ by providing education services to the targeted population of the country aimed at creating a skilled and efficient workforce through work oriented education. BOU is working in line with Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s universal education policy. BOU’s action-oriented education has spread across the country and abroad. Study centers of the university have been opened in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, South Korea and Italy for educating the Bangladeshi remittance fighters, which made the Bangladeshi expatriates happy as they now could avail education apart from their works.

The explosion of online and electronic devises and digital technologies has made the people more efficient and boosted their performance at workplaces. The aim of the BOU is to create educated and skilled manpower by turning the population into a public resource.

Under the leadership of Vice-chancellor Prof. Dr. Syed Humayun Akhter, the BOU is making its utmost effort to ensure career and mass oriented lifelong education for all.
Bangladeshi expatriates living abroad or expatriates of Bangladeshi origin can use BOU’s online portal to study through distance learning. On completion of his two years after assuming the office as BOU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Syed Humayun Akhter on June 30, 2023, teachers, officers and employees of the university extended heartfelt congratulations to him.
On the occasion, Prof. Dr. Syed Humayun Akhter, in his speech, said that BOU’s study centers will be opened in Europe, North America and in different countries of Middle East with the cooperation of different embassies, expatriate welfare organizations, dignitaries and academics. BOU is operating need-based programmes, course designs and schedules to make expatriates educated, skilled, employed, and improve their self-esteem and standard of living.
Many of our remittance warriors have been contributing to the country’s economy by staying in diaspora without completing their education in the rush of life. If we can give an opportunity to our people working abroad to upgrade themselves to compete in the international labour markets keeping pace with workers of other countries, they could earn more contributing to reserve foreign exchange.
Life-long learning is essential to make the students able to think independently and get developed mentally. Through qualitative changes in education, we can reach the status of developed world and future risks can be tackled by generating knowledge through action oriented education. Our GDP will increase with earning more remittances from diaspora through work-oriented education.
The BOU has already enlightened the country’s districts, Upazilas, villages, ethnic groups, underprivileged, poor and dropout students through distance learning. BOU offers various education programmes from SSC to Ph.D. It is mentioned that former US President Barack Obama’s Photographer is a BOU student. From high-level government bureaucrats to farmers, factory workers, women and housewives at field level all are our students. The marginalized communities of the society and those, who live in remote areas, can make themselves efficient by living in their respective areas through online education of the BOU.
There are 12 regional centers, 80 sub-regional centers and 1562 study centers of the university across the country to render the public service to the people. The BOU is a large family with about 9 lakh students of all ages and professions with formal and non-formal education programmes.
BOU has some non-formal programmes, which are being rendered to create awareness and impart knowledge of sustainable techniques about health and nutrition, environment, disaster management, basic science, agriculture, food, and other branches of knowledge for human development. Dr. Syed Humayun Akhter urged all the teachers, officials and employees to come forward in building the ‘Smart Bangladesh’. “Our goal is to develop BOU as a model institution with unique ideal of lusty, technology friendly and dynamism,” he added.

It is mentionable that Dr. Syed Humayun Akhter is internationally recognized as a geologist. He has been involved in research at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty earth observatory for long time. He is also involved in geological research in Germany, England, Singapore and India. He joined the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in 2003 as a visiting scientist. Dr Humayun has worked as a researcher on the Himalayan and Burmese deformation fronts in the Bangla Peer (NSA Peer Project) research team. He established the Dhaka University Earth Observatory and six permanent seismic stations. Besides, he is the founder of 30 geodetic GPS station systems and 27 portable seismographs. Dr Humayun has established Sediment Sample Repository and Data Bank in the country. In his illustrious career, he is associated with various research institutes and professional organizations including Bangladesh Geological Society, Bangladesh Association for the Advancement of Science, Bangladesh Society of Geoinformatics and Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology. He has considerable experiences of working with the international scientists in the field of geotectonic, earthquake geology, geodetic GPS, and natural hazards.
By advancing BOU’s multifaceted activities, Professor Dr.Syed Humayun Akhter has earned praises from all quarters. He has been leading the academic master plan formulation, academic, administrative, media, information technology and field level education through concerted efforts. Under his guidance and close supervision, media documentaries were made on various topics including, the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Liberation War, folk speech garlands, memorial speeches, independence, liberation war, intellectual day, language day and 15 August National Mourning Day. He gained appreciation from all circles by promoting the multifaceted activities, including giving honor to retired teachers and officials, expanding education facilities, encouraging research, strengthening the government’s cost-effective policy, encouraging the development of culture, bringing administrative transparency and self-discipline. The university is ensuring education for students with special needs and students of the third gender, ensuring quality assurance in education and environment.
BOU achieved unprecedented success in completing projects quickly, showing creativity and APA after Dr. Syed Humayun Akhter joined as the Vice-Chancellor. BOU has advanced 16 steps in the APA assessment of the fiscal year 2021-22 with score of 90.49 points and ranked 4th among the 46 public universities in the country. Professor Dr. Syed Humayun Akhter said, “As the information technology is advancing, we should move forward to build the ‘Sonar Bangla’ by improving the quality of education suitable for the fourth industrial revolution.

Dr. Mesbah Uddin Tuhin: Writer and Columnist, Director (In charge), Information and PR Division BOU.