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Seminar on “Academia-Industry Linkage for Education and Research: Views from the Private Sector”
Venue: Civil Engineering Seminar Room of BUET
Date: 10 November 2007
Summary of Deliberations
The seminar was chaired by Prof. Jamilur Reza Choudhury, President of BUETAA. Prof. A.M.M. Safiullah, Vice Chancellor of BUET, was the Chief Guest. Four BUET alumni, who are leaders in their respective industries, spoke on different aspects of the theme. They strongly advocated for building a strong linkage between BUET and the industries for advancing industrial growth and economic development of Bangladesh.
In his welcoming address Dr. Sadiqul Islam Bhuiyan, Executive Diretor of BUETAA, emphasized that education and research will always remain a most critical factor in determining the future of our nation and the private sector, which is the most powerful engine for development, can and should play an important role as both a client and a consultant in shaping up the course of education and research in BUET, our dear alma mater.
Engr. A.K.M. Shamsuddin, Chairman of E-Zone Ltd., gave the keynote paper (link ???????????????) on the theme. He observed that, being a public institution, BUET is starved of resources for research, a condition that could be mitigated by adequate support from the private sector and the linkage between BUET and the private sector is yet to be developed at a satisfactory level. He observed that the private sector is unaware of the BUET’s capability and expertise in solving real-life problems. He identified the lack of long-term focus and over-emphasis on quick return-on-investment in the private sector as a barrier in building a strong linkage. He suggested that the academia should take the initiative for bridging the gap and demonstrate how their programs can support and benefit the industries. Engr. Shamsuddin projected a vision for BUET as a model center of excellence through sustained engagement with business, industry, public sector and international partners, shaping the future success of BUET graduates operating in a global environment and advancing the prosperity of Bangladesh.
Other professionals representing various industries of the private sector who presented their views in the seminar were: (1) Engr. A.S.M. Quasem, Chairman of Newage Group (Garments manufacturing), (2) Engr. A.M. Yahya (Telecommunications), (3) Engr. Rabiul Alam, CEO of Energypac Power Co. (Energy), and (4) Ar. Mubasshar Hussain, Managing Director of Assoconsult Ltd. (Consulting & Construction). Two BUET professors who presented their views were Prof. S.M. Nazrul Islam of the Mechanical Engineering Department and Prof. Md. Mazharul Haque of the Civil Engineering Department.
Engr. A.S.M. Quasem emphasized that the garments sector of Bangladesh must improve productivity and quality control in order to maintain its competitiveness against such other countries as China, India, and Vietnam. The garments sector presently has a need for 3,500-4,000 Industrial Production Engineering (IPE) graduates. The gap is now being met by expatriate engineers from Sri Lanka and other countries. Likewise many foreigners are working as technical consultants under GTZ and SEDF funding. Ideally, BUET graduates should be able to work in these capacities.
Engr. A.M. Yahya described how investment decisions of Grameen Phone helped the company make history in the telecommunication sector. He commented that university education should maintain focus on teaching concepts, not skills. Graduates will learn skills on the job. University authorities should take initiatives to contact the industries and convince them to support their educational and research programs. They should arrange for senior students’ internship and training programs that enable them to acquire specific skills. BUET authorities should also get involved with industries in the recruitment of their technical professionals.
Dr. Rabiul Alam expressed disappointment over the fact that despite being a storehouse of knowledge and talent, BUET is yet to be properly utilized in our national development efforts. The entire nation suffers from an unhealthy passion for imported products, ignoring local goods that are of comparable quality. As such, multinationals are the major players in the consumer market. He said that about Tk. 5,000 crore worth of electrical goods are imported annually, a large part of which could be locally produced. We need to reverse this resource-bleeding practice and develop our economy on solid footings. BUET should play an aggressive role in promoting entrepreneurship among its students and graduates.
Prof. S.M. Nazrul Islam placed emphasis on the need to tailor our industries to the local ecosystem failing which they will not sustain in the long run. Local innovations, he said, are essential for sustainable industrial development. He cited the case of our jute industry which is on the verge of collapse for lack of innovations. He lamented over the fact that research at BUET is hampered due to fund shortage and that post-graduate education is not adequately valued in the job market. He recommended that BUET should do everything possible to enable more and more of its graduates do their M.S. and Ph.D. degree studies in the country so that their research can help to solve local problems and contribute to national development.
Prof. Md. Mazharul Haque emphasized the fact that technological innovations are essential for sustainable economic growth in Bangladesh, for which the Government must promote and support research in a big way. He recommended the creation of a forum for science and technology based innovations at BUET and the establishment by the Government of a National Engineering Research Council for promoting engineering and technological research. He cited the development of an automatic vote counting machine, automatic electricity metering device, and a method for removing arsenic from water as examples of recent innovations generated at BUET.
In his speech, Prof. A.M.M. Safiullah thanked the BUET Alumni Association for organizing the seminar and appreciated the recommendations that came through from the presentations. He also recognized that the implementation of the recommendations will require more detailed deliberations and much effort. In terms of a strong academia-industry linkage, he mentioned the University of California at San Diego model as one good example of successful cooperation. He observed that the present system at BUET is far from ideal for encouraging research by the faculty. Fund shortage is one major impediment: 90% of BUET’s budget is spent on paying salary and the rest on other teaching support. Also, the university can hardly provide any incentive for pursuing research by those faculty who have already been promoted to the professor position. To mitigate this problem, commercial valuation of research results should be encouraged. He also stated that, to promote and facilitate research among students, BUET should establish an “Incubator for Innovation” program through which students would be supported to pursue their innovative ideas. He concluded by thanking the BUET Alumni Association for organizing the seminar that generated many useful ideas and stated that BUET will always cooperate with the Association on various matters of mutual interest.
In the concluding presentation, Prof. Jamilur Reza Choudhury observed that the Association has a tremendous growth potential as there are about 20,000 potential members. He stated that all alumni would like to see BUET grow as a Centre of Execellence and that BUETAA will pursue this goal seriously. He suggested that in future there should be a seminar to highlight engineers’ contribution to the agricultural sector in Bangladesh. He also supported two other recommendations that were made for promoting engineering research: establishment of the National Engineering Research Council and the “Incubator for Innovation” at BUET, which could also function as a link between the university and industries. The BRTC of BUET could also play an important role in promoting this linkage. He thanked Engr. A.K.M. Shamsuddin for his excellent keynote speech and other speakers for their deliberations. He informed the audience that the materials of the keynote speech will be uploaded to BUETAA’s website www.buetaa.org.bd. Finally, he thanked Vice Chancellor A.M.M. Shafiullah, Chief Guest of the seminar, for his valuable speech and other faculty and staff for their continued cooperation given to the Association.
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