The School of Business and Entrepreneurship (SBE) of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) hosted a discussion titled "Vision 2041 Smart Bangladesh: The Role of Private Universities," on June 24, at the IUB Auditorium in Dhaka as part of the two-day SBE Fest 2024. 

Prof. Dr. Biswajit Chanda, Member of the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC), attended the discussion as the Chief Guest. Prof. Dr. Abdur Rab, Vice Chancellor of International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT); Prof. Imran Rahman, Vice Chancellor of University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB); and Prof. Dr. Yusuf Mahbubul Islam, Vice Chancellor of Southeast University (SEU), took part in the discussion. Mr. Didar A Husain, Chairman, Board of Trustees, and Prof. Niaz Ahmed Khan, PhD, also spoke.

Prof. Dr. Biswajit Chanda said, “Achieving Smart Bangladesh is not just about smart cities; it is about cultivating smart citizens who can contribute productively to society. This starts with smart education, and I am glad to see the government modifying curriculums and training teachers to meet this goal.”

IUB Vice Chancellor Tanweer Hasan, PhD, who delivered the welcome address, said, “IUB has crafted a strategic plan to align with Smart Bangladesh and Vision 2041, with intermediary goals for 2030. We have made significant curriculum and programmatic changes. Our strategy includes revising recruitment policies to harness the potential of women, who make up 51% of the population. Technological transformation of our business school is underway, with many faculty members now trained in Python.”

Professor Dr. Abdur Rab said, “Smartness certainly involves communication skills, but not just traditional conversational skills. We are talking about communicating with machines and software. The 4th industrial revolution will embrace interaction between man and machine, and we must create a cooperative environment for this.”

Professor Imran Rahman said, "Some students prefer occasional training over traditional university education; but our culture often looks down on this approach. This contributes to high unemployment rates among university graduates. To ensure private university graduates secure desired jobs, we must adapt to future job scenarios.”

Professor Dr. Yusuf Mahbubul Islam said, "We need eight million skilled workers by 2025, but many private university graduates are unemployed. This gap is an opportunity for private universities. We need to ask what industries require and how to connect with them.”

The SBE Fest, organized under the guidance of SBE Dean, Professor Dr. Meherun Ahmed, commenced on June 24 with a Photography Exhibition titled “Branding Bangladesh” and a Display of departmental wall magazines. 

The afternoon featured the Interdepartmental Debate Competition final between the Economics and Management Information Systems (MIS) departments on the motion: “The house would prioritize profitability over sustainability for business.” The Economics team – comprising Khadiza Akter Tasnim, Neshlihan Mostafa, Tasfiah Akter Tanjel, and Ahmed Eftekhar Raiyan – emerged victorious in the contest, adjudicated by Dr. Md Shaiful Islam and Ms. Firoza Ashravee. 

An advertising contest saw 250 students submit 52 advertisements, with industry experts and academic personnel judging the best 20. The top five advertisements were screened, and the winners were Rafin Rayhan, Md. Khurshid Alam, and Imran Hossain Fuhad. 

The second day included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB) and a session on digital entrepreneurship.

BDST: 1538 HRS, JULY 01, 2024
MSK