A roundtable discussion held at UIU
Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of United International University (UIU) organized a four-roundtable discussion series titled “Transforming Future: Sustainable Industry-Academia Partnership”.
The first discussion of the series was held yesterday at UIU Campus, United City, Madani Avenue, Dhaka.
The program commenced with the speech by Prof. Dr. Md. Musa, Dean of the School of Business & Economics (SoBE), as Program Chairperson. The dialogue was further enriched by the insights of Emeritus Professor Dr. M. Rizwan Khan, Executive Director, IAR of UIU, Prof. Dr. Hasan Sarwar, Dean of the School of Science and Engineering, UIU, Prof. Dr. Hamidul Haq, Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, UIU, Dr. Mofizul Haque Masum, FCMA, Director, IQAC of UIU, Prof. Dr. Md. Saiful Alam, Additional Director, IQAC, Dhaka Univesity, Prof. Dr. Mohammad Sarwar Morshed, Director, IQAC of AUST, Syeda Mehjabin, Senior Lecturer of ULAB, Mr. Raihan Shafi, In-Charge, Circular Economy and Green Infrastructure, Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Mr. Salman Khair, Lead-Talent Acquisition and Learning & Development, Reckitt Benckiser (Bangladesh) PLC, Mr. Yasin Shohag, Lead of HR, Cocacola, Tangia Sbrin, Divisional Head of Recruitment, Abul Khair Group, Mr. M M Mahbub Hasan, SVP & Head of Financial Inclusion and School Banking, Prime Bank PLC, Mr. Md. Touhidur Rahman Rad, Sr. Executive Director & Chief of Business, Walton Digi-Tech Industries Ltd, Mr. Nazmus Sakeeb, Manager, United Finance PLC and Mr. Showkat Osman Jamil, General Manager-Head of Sales, United Aygaz lPG Ltd, alongside other notable expertise from the country’s top institutions and industries.
Mr. M M Mahbub Hasan, SVP and Head of Financial Inclusion and School Banking at Prime Bank PLC, highlighted the success of initiatives that integrated financial solutions across universities nationwide. He stressed that financial literacy is no longer optional.
Similarly, Tangia Sbrin, Divisional Head of Recruitment, Abul Khair Group, and Mr. Nazmus Sakeeb, Manager, United Finance PLC, emphasized that recruiters seek management experience often gained through extracurricular activities and other relevant project work rather than just classroom experience or CGPA.
Prof. Dr. Md. Saiful Alam, Additional Director of IQAC, Dhaka University, emphasised that the academic mindset must change, while students also need to take charge of upskilling.
Syeda Mehjabin, Sr. Lecturer, School of Social Sciences of ULAB, pointed out the trust gap between senior officers and interns, noting that many students struggle with professional grooming and workplace etiquette.
The roundtable discussion highlighted that national progress will be achievable only through collaboration between academia and industry, and that such partnerships are essential for securing long-term solutions for educators.
The panelists outlined several recommendations, including updating the syllabus and adjusting course content to reflect market needs, adding non-credit core courses for soft skills, signing effective and sustainable MOUs beyond symbolic contracts and implementing critical-thinking and psychological assessments to better understand students’ career suitability.
The panelists expressed hope that this roundtable will play a significant role in advancing industry–academia partnerships.
