Bangladesh Open University (BOU) has pledged to strengthen gender equality across its academic and administrative operations following a review of progress under the Mainstreaming Gender Equality in Academia (MAGENDA) project.
A MAGENDA delegation met BOU Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Siddiqur Rahman Khan on Thursday (8 October) to review implementation of the university’s Gender Equality Plan (GEP) and discuss measures to promote gender-responsive institutional practices, the university said in a press release.
Khan assured the delegation of full administrative support, stressing that gender equality must be integrated into institutional governance, academic practices, administration, human resource management and student services rather than treated merely as a project activity.
He also agreed to deliver the keynote address at the final MAGENDA conference on mainstreaming gender equality in academia, scheduled to be held at Kathmandu University in Nepal.
During the meeting, the project team outlined progress in implementing the GEP, covering capacity building, awareness and community campaigns, student engagement, policy development and gender mainstreaming initiatives.
MAGENDA is an Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education project involving universities in Bangladesh and Nepal in collaboration with European partners.
A representative of an EU partner organisation praised BOU’s progress in implementing the plan, saying its experience in open and distance learning could offer valuable lessons to other higher education institutions in the region.
The meeting was attended by Anisur Rahman, pro-vice-chancellor (academic), and Md Serajul Islam, pro-vice-chancellor (administration).
Other participants included Sabina Yeasmin, MAGENDA project manager and professor at BOU’s Open School; Md Serazul Islam, MAGENDA researcher, former director of the Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) and dean of the School of Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD); and Md Mizanoor Rahman, MAGENDA deputy project manager and associate professor of finance and banking at the Open School.
The delegation also visited the BOU Media Centre to explore the use of its media and digital learning facilities for gender-awareness campaigns, educational content and project dissemination activities.
The visit concluded with a renewed commitment to accelerate implementation of the GEP and promote gender-responsive, inclusive and equitable practices in higher education.
The press release was signed by Md Khalequzzaman Khan, director (in charge).
