Institutions of higher learning are not merely places for degrees to be conferred -- they are potentially the birthplaces of new ideas that drive the country forward. In short, they are places of innovation.
To that end, we congratulate ULAB on being ranked as one of the world’s top 50 universities for innovation and creativity, according to the World’s Universities with Real Impact (WURI) Ranking for 2020 -- being the only Bangladeshi university to do so.
This is no small matter of pride, and shows us that, despite the shortcomings we might face as a lower middle-income nation, we are still capable of achievements in the academic sphere.
The ability to innovate is nowhere as important as it is in the education sector, which has oftentimes lagged behind when it comes to providing the best quality education to its students, be it at the primary level or at the tertiary.
And this encouragement could not have come at a more important time as during a worldwide pandemic, which has forced educational institutions across the world and in Bangladesh to find new methods and procedures, mostly through online classes, so that students may receive the education they deserve.
Innovation and research are tenets by which all universities should live by, and we hope this comes as inspiration for other institutions across the country to strive to find new approaches to education and not be stuck in the vestiges of the past.
The educational sector remains the bedrock of any nation as it informs and complements the successes found in the rest of the country, be it more directly in the economy or in more indirect ways to be found in issues of civil liberties.
This should come as a reminder that, especially because of the limited resources we have, innovative approaches and research should be encouraged, not only in the education sector, but in every aspect of our nation’s journey towards development.
