Learning how to learn is perception of higher education now: UTA President Karbhari

The perception of higher education has changed nowadays to a significant extent as “creating knowledge” approach is becoming “obsolete slowly and gradually”, University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) President Dr Vistasp M Karbhari has said.

Instead, he says, “learning how to learn and create the appropriate effective and knowledge” is the perception of higher education now.

He was speaking at an international symposium hosted by Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) on its campus in Dhaka’s Bashundhara with the UTA on Friday, IUB said in a media release on Sunday.

While educating beyond classrooms, creating lifelong educational paths, ensuring students’ success, cultivating faculty and staff and serving the community near and far would be the prime objectives for creditable universities, according to Dr Karbhari.

He emphasised enhancing students’ learning to safeguard these strategies by developing their appropriate career that can contribute universally, engaging them with communities, establishing global connections, creating leaders and conducting innovative researches that can truly make the difference and help coping with 4th Industrial Revolution or 4IR.

State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak presented a short video titled “Go Ahead Bangladesh”, produced by the ICT Division, at the symposium.

He made three recommendations - signing a tri-partite deal between the division, IUB and UTA, setting up online education system comprehensively, and ensuring appropriate work opportunities for Bangladeshi students who will go abroad for higher education.

UTA Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Policy Dr Pranesh Aswath, IUB Board of Trustees Chairman A Matin Chowdhury and Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Milan Pagon also delivered their speeches.

UTA alumnus Mustaque Ahmed, Alumnus, delivered the vote of thanks. Vice-chancellors from different private universities, members of the Board of Trustees of IUB, principals of leading college and schools, academicians and researchers, media experts, members of alumni association of country’s leading universities, deans, senior members of the faculty and administration, other dignitaries, and huge number of students attended this symposium.

The UTA team had a two-day programme with IUB. On day one, Thursday, Dr Karbhari met IUB Trustees and high officials for two-party collaborations.

Both UTA and IUB identified the areas where they can collaborate to enhance the quality of higher education nationally and internationally by creating new methodologies of innovative learning to cope with the 4IR.

“IUB now looks forward to accomplish a very significant tri-partite Memorandum of Understanding,” the university said.