2,067 graduates receive degrees at IUB’s 27th convocation

The Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) has presented degrees to 2,067 postgraduate and undergraduate students at its 27th Convocation.

The event was held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center in Dhaka’s Purbachal on Monday.

Bangladesh President and IUB Chancellor Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir presided over the event.

The president said Bangladesh’s education system had long been divided into multiple streams, resulting in significant disparities in access, quality and acquired skills. He stressed the urgent need to address these inequalities by developing an integrated national education system that brings the different streams together.

He also emphasised the importance of raising educational standards to international levels to remain globally competitive, while staying firmly connected to the country’s history, language, literature, culture and heritage.

Fakhrul further stressed the need to align higher education more closely with labour market demands. He urged universities to develop and implement relevant, employment-oriented and skills-based curricula, with greater emphasis on practical and technical education, real-world experience and technological skills.

Young people should be prepared not only to seek jobs, but also be skilled professionals, entrepreneurs and job creators, he said.

Special Guest and Bangladesh University Grants Commission Chairman Prof Mamun Ahmed said Bangladesh’s greatest strength was its millions of young people. The energy, determination and capacity for innovation of the youth would be instrumental in building Bangladesh's future.

He encouraged graduates to apply their theoretical and practical knowledge to become entrepreneurs and innovators. Referring to the country's economic ambitions, he highlighted the goals of building a trillion-dollar economy and creating 10 million new high-value jobs, saying that the talent, integrity and hard work of young people would be central to achieving them.

Convocation Speaker Prof Ainun Nishat said that the world and the boundaries of knowledge were changing rapidly, with new technologies, products and approaches to analysis and problem-solving constantly emerging. Congratulating the graduates on completing their studies he reminded them that their learning journey was far from over and that they would need to continuously update their knowledge and skills.

IUB Board of Trustees Chairman Didar A Husain noted that rapidly developing Asian countries such as China and Vietnam were investing heavily in education, while Bangladesh had yet to allocate as significant a chunk of the budget to it. He thanked the government for recently expanding the allocation and expressed hope that Bangladesh would soon allocate 5 percent of its GDP to education.

Vice Chancellor Prof M Tamim said the acquiring knowledge also came with the responsibility of using it for the welfare of others. He emphasised that education remained incomplete without humanity and compassion, expressing the hope that the graduates would become rational, compassionate and responsible citizens who respect differing opinions, stand against injustice and make positive contributions to society through their work.

Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Daniel W Lund presented the graduates to the president for the presentation of degrees. Registrar Asif Parvez conducted the ceremony.

Marjan Ferdous Tasbih of the Department of Finance was named valedictorian and received the Chancellor's Gold Medal. The Chancellor's Gold Medal was also awarded to Nahian Islam Asif of the Department of Finance and Shadman Saqeeb Hasan of the Department of Marketing.

Ikram Hossain Akif of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering received the All-Rounder Award.

For outstanding academic performance at the undergraduate level, awards were presented to Aysha Shamim, Samim Rahman Bhuiyan, Tasnuba Tasnim Anita, Hemal Sharma and Yazdi Zaman. At the postgraduate level, the awards for outstanding academic performance went to Tahsina Mahtab Ananna, Zaima Zohra, Rabiah Binthe Hossain and Fahmida Chowdhury.

In addition to academic achievements, graduates were also recognised for extracurricular accomplishments. Jannatul Ferdous Mohona received the Community Service Award. Abul Kasem (Ashikur Rahman) and Farhana Azizah Arif were recognised for their contributions to cultural activities. The Sports Activities Award was presented to Noor Zarin Tasnim (badminton), Ridoy Dev (cricket), Amit Bikram Roy (chess) and Tiva Tasha (basketball).

The day's programme concluded with performances by metal band Warfaze, IUB Music Club, IUB Dance Club and Abbrittilok.