Bangabandhu Maritime University to start this yr: Nahid
Prime News Desk ||
2013-04-19 Time : 17:04:23
Dhaka: The government has finalized the draft of a law on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Maritime University and the bill would be tabled in coming session of the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) beginning Sunday, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid told BSS. "We've the primary preparations to launch the maiden university this year...We are hopeful that the bill would be placed in the coming JS session," Nahid said in an exclusive interview. The maritime university, to be set up at Anwara in the port city of Chittagong, is aimed at creating skilled manpower in the maritime sector. Nahid said all concerned academies would be affiliated with the university, which will provide certificates to students of academies. "We want that the university will not work shipbuilding and ship maintenance, but also create skilled manpower suitable for the growing industry side by side with carrying multi disciplinary marine researches," he said. He said work of the education ministry is on the rise as the country has now as many as 100 public and private universities. "We want to entrust the universities with responsibilities so that they can carryout tasks on their own." The government will recruit people having expertise in this field and the expertise may come from any relevant sector including Bangladesh Navy or any organization. Welcoming the government's decision, Professor Dr M Rafiqul Islam, Head of the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (NAME) of BUET, said maritime university should be the highest centre of excellence of the maritime sector. Dr Islam expressed the hope that the university would be a specialized one and said it should have such qualified people, who must have horizon and highest degree in the field of maritime education. Tariqul Islam, a maritime industry expert, said, "It is desirable to have a full fledged public maritime university which will be staffed by the highly qualified academicians with research and teaching experience for the greater interest of the potential maritime sector. This is the internationally accepted practice followed worldwide. As we aim to excel in the maritime industry at par with the world, we must ensure this qualification requirement for the academicians is particularly complied at the very start of the university." He said, "This university, through producing skilled graduates and post graduates, would project a positive Bangladesh to the maritime world." "Hence, such an endeavor of the present Government is highly appreciable. We should by all means try to set up the university of international standard in true sense and not a college or an institute in disguise" said Tariqul Islam, also a naval architect. Ends/AMA/19/04/13
