Prime Minister's Adviser on Education and Primary and Mass Education Mahdi Amin. Photo: Taken from video.

DHAKA, June 7, 2026 (BSS) - Prime Minister's Adviser on Education, Primary and Mass Education and spokesperson at the Prime Minister's Office Mahdi Amin today said the National University (NU) would be transformed into one of the country's leading centres for producing skilled human resources, fostering innovation and developing responsible citizens.

"The National University, as the country's largest higher education network, will no longer remain merely a degree-awarding institution. It will evolve into a leading hub of knowledge, modern training, skills development and nation-building," Mahdi Amin said.

He said this while speaking as the special guest at the inauguration of a teacher training programme on "Skill-Based Education" in the National University curriculum at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in the capital.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman formally inaugurated the programme.

The adviser said the reform initiatives launched at the National University over the past three and a half months were being guided by the Prime Minister's long-term vision and the ruling party's electoral manifesto.

He said the government was committed to making higher education more employment-oriented, skill-based and relevant to real-life needs instead of remaining certificate-centric.

To achieve this objective, he said, the authorities had undertaken a series of initiatives, including expansion of vocational and technical education, introduction of career centres and job placement services, strengthening industry-academia collaboration, increasing apprenticeship and internship opportunities, establishing language centres and promoting third-language learning.

The initiatives also include the "Learning with Happiness" programme, the "One Student, One Tree" campaign and various environment-friendly and community-based activities, he added.

Highlighting the significance of the National University, Mahdi Amin said it was the world's second-largest university by enrolment, with more than 30 lakh students studying at its 2,285 affiliated colleges across the country.

He said over 400,000 female students enrolled in affiliated colleges this year alone, reflecting the country's continued progress in women's empowerment.

Despite producing a large number of graduates annually, many still struggle to secure employment, he noted.

Therefore, transforming the National University was not merely an institutional reform but a broader movement aimed at improving education, employment opportunities, human resource development and the livelihoods of millions of families, he said.

The adviser said the university served as a powerful vehicle for grassroots empowerment by extending higher education opportunities beyond the capital to districts and upazilas across the country.

Strengthening this network was aligned with the government's vision of inclusive development and local potential-driven growth, he added.

Expressing optimism about eliminating session backlogs, Mahdi Amin said the government had already undertaken multiple measures to resolve the problem and improve educational standards.

Efforts were underway to fully digitise examination and result publication systems and ensure a safe academic environment so that the institution could emerge as a modern and internationally competitive university, he added.

Recalling the university's establishment, he said the National University was founded in 1992 under the leadership of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia with the objective of making higher education accessible to people across the country.

Drawing examples from institutions such as Australian National University, National University of Singapore, Seoul National University and National Taiwan University, he said the term "National" signified not only a name but also excellence, leadership and national development.

He said the country's education system, including the National University, suffered significant setbacks during a prolonged period of authoritarian rule.

The present government, he said, was determined to rebuild the sector and produce technologically skilled, competent and patriotic citizens who would drive Bangladesh's future economic progress.

Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon and Secondary and Higher Education Division Secretary Abdul Khaleque spoke as special guests, among others.

Vice-Chancellor of the National University Professor Dr A.S.M. Amanullah chaired the programme.