Bangladesh University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Professor Dr. Mamun Ahmed has said budget allocations for universities will take into account both international rankings and domestic benchmarks.
He made the comment responding to a reporter’s question after a freshers’ reception for the 2025-26 academic year students, held Saturday, August 29, at Rajshahi University’s (RU) Kazi Nazrul Islam auditorium. The UGC chairman said university budgets will be allocated considering both international and domestic rankings. Alongside international rankings, he said, they are trying to build a domestic ranking system for the country’s universities, which would create the opportunity to prioritize universities based on merit.
Highlighting the importance of introducing a domestic ranking system, he said: “We are working on this. You will see results soon. Through this, it will be possible to set priorities based on universities’ capacity and quality. This will create a competitive environment for improving the quality of education and research at universities.”
Emphasizing second-language education, the UGC chairman said: “Second-language learning is part of our priorities. We have already established language-learning centers prioritizing a second language at more than 30 universities. Rajshahi University already has a language institute. It will be further strengthened, so that students here have better facilities for language learning.”
The freshers’ reception was chaired by the university’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Faridul Islam. The event was attended by the university’s two pro-vice-chancellors, the proctor, deans of various faculties, syndicate members, teachers from various departments and invited guests.