Bangladesh Education Forum launches campaign to internationalise the country’s US$4.6 bn higher education sector

A number of Bangladeshi universities are participating in the international conference held in Dubai from November 4-6, 2022, which saw students enrolling themselves in Bangladeshi universities.

“Bangladesh is soon going to emerge as an alternative higher education destination with thousands of foreign students already studying in various universities and medical colleges in Bangladesh, that is adding to the growing remittance inflow in to the country,” — Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury, Deputy Education Minister of Bangladesh.

Dubai, UAE and Dhaka, Bangladesh; November 6, 2022

Bangladesh Education Forum 2022 – the first-of-its-kind international conference to underline the success of the higher education sector of Bangladesh has successfully taken off at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Deira Dubai, that is aimed at re-positioning Bangladesh as a high-quality and cost-effective higher education destination in the world.

With a vision to attract international students to the country’s universities, medical colleges, dental colleges, general and specialized colleges, Bangladesh – which has been a net exporter of students to other countries that drained a large amount of foreign currency every year – now looks at becoming a net importer of foreign students that could fetch the country a large amount of foreign currency every year.

“Our education system was never bad. However, the perception about it needs to change, and international conferences such as Bangladesh Economic Forum could play a great role in changing the perception,” Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury, Deputy Education Minister of Bangladesh, who inaugurated the Forum as Chief Guest, told delegates, academicians and the international press.

“Our students are now getting employed by Fortune 500 companies, and many have taken leadership positions in the world’s top global corporations – that reflects the quality of our education. We are doing well, but we must tell the rest of the world that the education system is good.”

He urged all the higher education institutions to work closely to promote the industry at the global level.

Bangladesh, which hosts one of the largest education sectors in the world with 163 universities, 115 medical colleges and more than 2,500 general and specialised colleges, is now ready to attract international students and offer good quality, cost-effective education to the students living in the Middle East.

Bangladesh Government has allocated US$8.14 billion (Tk814.49 billion) to the education sector in the current financial year ending June 2023, of which US$3.99 billion (Tk399.61 billion) has been allocated for higher education. More than 30 million students are groomed by the country’s education sector every year – making it one of the largest education service industries in the world.

By 2025, Bangladeshi universities, medical, dental and general colleges are expected to serve 4.6 million students, according to a research report. With an average annual cost of US$1,000 per year, this translates to a higher education market size of US$4.6 billion in Bangladesh, where the numbers are constantly growing due to the socio-economic growth of the country.

To facilitate international students’ enrollment into Bangladeshi universities and medical colleges, a global convention – Bangladesh Education Forum – is being held to bring Bangladeshi universities and medical colleges closer to UAE-based university-going high school students, parents, academicians and education consultants.

The first-of-its-kind Bangladesh Education Forum 2022 conference and exhibition brings Government Ministers, high-ranking officials, university owners, vice-chancellors, academicians, education consultants, parents and students closer to developing a better understanding of the attractiveness of Bangladeshi universities and medical colleges.

Dr Bishwajit Chanda, Honourable Member of the University Grants Commission (UGC), said, “We work closely with the universities to ensure the quality of education. There is a sound regulatory environment that governs the higher education as it is closely linked to the country’s future.

“Universities in Bangladesh have matured and they can now expand internationally and attract foreign students. Our role is to ensure that they do things right.”

Bangladesh Education Forum is supported by Bangladesh Government’s Ministry of Education, University Grants Commission, American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) and the Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh (APUB).

Ishtiaque Abedin, Chairman of AIUB, said, “There is a big gap between Bangladeshi diaspora in different countries and our universities and we are here to bridge the gap to develop a close relationship with the Non-Resident Bangladeshi (NRB) community.

“I am pleased to announce that as an initial gesture, we will put GCC-based applicants into our scholarship programmes, so that others are encouraged to enrol into our university. We want to first change their perception, before we can change others’.”

Bangladesh Education Forum 2022 is a joint initiative by Pan Asian Group, a group of Dubai-based marketing, event management, public relations and media organisations, and Spiral World, a Dhaka-based physical and digital events management and marketing consultancy. AIUB is the Title Sponsor of the event.