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In today's higher education community, internationalization has been widely accepted as an important strategy for institutional development. The cultivation of students' intercultural competence has shifted from an added-value side effect to an all-persuasive motive in a market-driven and globalised educational sector. Researchers, educators and administrators would agree that a new emphasis on Intercultural Education (IE) is very necessary and important, and it will enhance the outcome of institutional internationalisation efforts.
Bangladesh's progress for the last couple of years is a mosaic of solid achievements, with increased real per capita income by more than 130 percent, cut poverty by more than half, and is well set to achieve most of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The economy today is a lot more flexible and resilient, as indicated by the ability to withstand the global financial crisis with minimum adverse effects. The progress is also reflected in the remarkable expansion of higher education, with the massive increase in the number of universities, institutions and students enrollment. Consequently, it has now become ever more challenging to deal with this rapid expansion and to maintain the quality of higher education. Since the globalised economy provides countless opportunities and challenges to our higher education institutions, it is realized to improve the quality of higher education to produce globally competent graduates to lead the country towards further development.
In the year of achieving independence in 1971, there were only 6 public universities, 252 intermediate and degree colleges and 10 teachers training colleges in the country. Today, there are 170 universities, both in the public and private sectors to attain the goal of quality in higher education. The number of enrolled students at the university level was just 1.4 million in 2010 and in 2023 it has got a dramatic expansion; it is now about 4.8 million, which is more than the entire population of many countries in the world. The phenomenal expansion of higher education has made it obligatory to enhance the IT skills, quality of leadership and management capacity of the UGC officials to sustain in the global arena. It can be mentioned here that the position of receiving students in tertiary education in Bangladesh is 4th in 2023. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions are China, India and Indonesia, respectively (Asia Week: 2023).
Saudi Arabia is a country located in the Middle East and is known for its rich cultural heritage and bustling economy. The country has made significant progress in developing its higher education and research system and has been working to attract international students to its five universities, namely, King Abdul Aziz University, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Mining, King Saud University, Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University and Imam Abdurrahman Bin Faisal University. It can be mentioned here.
That the UGC of Bangladesh and a few top-ranked universities in KSA had taken an initiative to explore collaboration in the higher education, training and research sectors. The objective of the MoU was to ensure and enhance the standard of e-governance, quality assurance, strengthening leadership, institutional capacity building, administrative and financial management of the universities of both countries to bring in qualitative improvement in the governance and management of the universities and the UGC as well. Through this MoU, officials of both countries will get a chance to become more familiar with and competent with the global trends of higher education, research and innovation.
The way of interaction, knowledge sharing and holistic approach to teaching and learning will make the program a viable one-especially paradigm shifting trend in KSA and Bangladesh. As statistics show, in 2022, there are as many as 70 universities and higher educational institutions in Saudi Arabia. Out of these HEIs, 38 HEIs meeting the uniRank selection criteria. Out of 38, a good number of Saudi Arabian universities, namely, King Saud University, King Abdul Aziz University, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Mining, Islamic University of Madinah, Umm Al-Qura University, King Faisal University, Taibah University, are contributing remarkably in teaching, research and innovation. These universities, KSA and the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC) may be one of the supreme training centers for delivering various customised short training courses for professionals. In 2018, Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud University, KSA and the UGC of Bangladesh agreed to sign a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Hence, Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud University will be pleased to offer a customised professional training program for UGC and University officials with a significant terms and conditions as per the agreement.
As we all know that there are a good number of Bangladeshi students and faculties in the KSA universities, especially in software and computer engineering and social science disciplines. All of them are now performing very well in their respective fields. There are plenty of scope for joint collaboration, especially in research and intellectual interchange, between the universities of KSA and Bangladesh.
KSA objectives towards Bangladesh are rooted in history, cultural and religious bonds and based on the fact that 90 per cent of 150 million Bangladeshis are Muslims. Around 1.2–2.5 million Bangladeshis work in the Kingdom. It may be mentioned here that out of the 3,975,550 Bangladeshis abroad, approximately 2,820,000 live within the Middle East, or 0.075% of the Middle East population, with half of them in Saudi Arabia. Bangladesh has long-standing relations and growing engagements with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Although there are plenty of common links to build on, the strategic importance of Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia is limited.
Both the countries increasingly recognise the mutually beneficial potential to expand bilateral cooperation across a wider perspective. In deepening bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, and the economic front, the 11th session of the Joint Commission of Dhaka in November 2015 agreed to expand cooperation in all areas, e.g., manpower, education, trade, investment, health and agriculture. Moreover, Saudi Arabia holds a pivotal role as the largest and most significant destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers, contributing significantly to the development of both nations through their active participation in economic activities in the KSA and remittance transfers to Bangladesh. It is worth mentioning that the Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) in Saudi Arabia contribute around 30% of the total remittance influx to Bangladesh. The emerging economy of KSA has created a demand for skilled professionals in various sectors, including engineering, IT services, education and healthcare. Saudi Government to recruit more professionals, as Bangladesh has a large pool of talented individuals in these fields who can contribute to Saudi Arabia's development while simultaneously promoting skilled labour migration and increasing foreign currency inflow.
Recently, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) has proposed to enter into a collaborative arrangement with a few Universities in KSA. The King Fahd University of Petroleum and Mineral Resources in Dammam has similarly expressed interest to offer scholarships to scientific officers of Petro Bangla for post-graduate and doctoral degrees. In order to situate such academic collaboration at higher level, Bangladesh has already proposed a MoU on broader collaboration and cooperation in higher education sector with KSA.
The five-decade-long diplomatic relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Bangladesh has consistently upheld a longstanding economic and development tie. These two friendly nations have nurtured robust diplomatic ties marked by mutual understanding and deep fraternity. Through this journey, our bilateral trade has thrived, reaching approximately USD 2.5 billion in FY2023. As Bangladesh transitions from its Least Developed Country (LDC) status by 2026 and followed by a developed economy by 2041, it faces the crucial task of diversifying its export portfolio and seeking new markets beyond its traditional partners. In this context, Saudi Arabia emerges as a potentially game-changing market with immense potential for both trade and investment. The Kingdom now has the Saudi Vision 2030, which offers Bangladesh to look at new areas of engagement with Saudi Arabia.
Similarly, Bangladesh's Vision 2041 is to emergence as a smart and upper-level income-generating country with peace, prosperity, and dignity by using information and Communication Technology (ICT) and development of favourable business environment for innovative entrepreneurs. On the other hand, Bangladesh is expected to become the 24th-largest economy in the world by 2031. The Vision 2041 (of emergence as a smart and developed country) promises the Kingdom to consider Bangladesh as a fast-growing economic opportunity to invest in beneficial terms. Bangladesh's positioning within the global supply chains and some of the key global value chains, fulfilling incremental demand for quality higher education and advanced research, would merit consideration. Realising the significance of such a noble vision, the UGC of Bangladesh assumes greater responsibilities to march forward with precise objectives for strengthening its resources.
The writer is a Director at University Grants Commission of Bangladesh. He can be reached at email: [email protected].
Messenger/Disha
