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A partnership agreement has recently been signed between the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation project implemented by the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh and the British Council to enhance leadership, teacher skills and institutional capacity in the higher education in Bangladesh.

The agreement was signed at the House of Lords in the United Kingdom, hosted by Baroness Rosie Winterton, the UK trade envoy to Bangladesh, said a press release on Saturday.

Country director of British Council Bangladesh Stephen Forbes and the director of the HEAT project Professor Asaduzzaman signed the agreement on behalf their respective sides.

Under the partnership, the British Council in collaboration with the UK partner Advance Higher Education will support the HEAT project in advancing faculty development, academic leadership and institutional capacity-building, contributing to the Bangladesh government’s vision for a more dynamic, globally engaged higher education.

The collaboration will also promote greater alignment with international standards and establish a sustainable professional development framework for university academics and leaders.

The signing ceremony was attended by Baroness Wendy Alexander, vice-chair of the British Council and member of the House of Lords, UGC chairman Professor SMA Faiz, UGC members Professor Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan and Professor Masuma Habib, vice-chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan, BUET VC Professor Abu Borhan Mohammad Badruzzaman, North South University VC Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, BRAC University registrar David Dowland, World Bank task team leader TM Asaduzzaman, Bangladesh high commissioner to the UK Abida Islam, British Council Bangladesh education head Toufique Hasan and deputy director of the HEAT project Mohammad Khorshed Alam.

Professor SMA Faiz said that this partnership with the British Council represented a timely and strategic step in Bangladesh’s higher education reform journey. ‘Together with the World Bank and Advance HE, we are investing in leadership, teaching excellence and institutional quality, building the foundations for a globally connected higher education system.’

Stephen Forbes said, ‘The British Council’s long-standing partnership with the UGC reflects our shared ambition to enhance quality, governance, and leadership within higher education.’

Baroness Rosie Winterton said, ‘This partnership reflects the UK’s enduring collaboration with Bangladesh in education and skills, and our shared belief that education is the most powerful bridge between nations.’