Education Adviser Professor Dr. Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar today spoke at the 26th convocation of North South University . Photo: PID

DHAKA, Jan 7, 2026 (BSS) - Education Adviser Professor Dr. Chowdhury Rafiqul 
Abrar today said the high cost of private university education continues to 
exclude many talented students. 

He said this while chairing the 26th convocation of North South University 
(NSU) held on the university campus.

University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof SMA Faiz was the convocation 
speaker and UGC member Prof Dr. Mohammad Anwar Hossen was the special guest. 

Prof Abrar said higher education carried not only opportunity but also a 
profound responsibility to society, democracy, and the public good.

He said NSU graduates are part of a global community whose influence extends 
far beyond the campus and beyond Bangladesh.
 
Highlighting the leadership roles of NSU alumni in business, finance, law, 
technology, development, media, academia, and public policy across cities 
such as Dhaka, Singapore, London, Toronto, and Sydney, he said, their work 
reflects Bangladesh's booming presence as a source of skilled and globally 
competitive leadership.

Prof Abrar emphasized that leadership was not limited to professional success 
or institutional authority but was most clearly tested during moments of 
moral challenge.
 
Referring to the student-led movement of July 2024, he described it as a 
defining moment in Bangladesh's democratic history, mentioning the visible 
and valiant participation of students from private universities, including 
NSU.

The adviser paid tribute to those who were martyred and those who were 
injured during the movement, with special remembrance of Abir, a member of 
the NSU community who was valiantly martyred.
 
Abir's martyrdom serves as a reminder that democratic struggle carries real 
human cost and is borne by ordinary citizens, he said.

Highlighting the role of private universities in Bangladesh's higher 
education landscape, Prof Abrar said, institutions like NSU now educate a 
substantial share of the country's graduates and play a central role in 
national and global capacity-building.

The adviser acknowledged the university's pioneering role as one of 
Bangladesh's first private universities and said its academic standing and 
international reputation had been built not only through infrastructure and 
linkages but also through the values and conduct of its graduates.

Prof Abrar urged the graduates to define success not only through income or 
position, but also through contribution to society.

He called upon them to use their education with integrity and vigilance to 
build successful careers while contributing to a just, democratic, and humane 
society.