Daffodil International University (DIU) hosted a high-level discussion on higher education accreditation and quality assurance involving Malaysia Qualifications Agency (MQA) and Bangladesh Accreditation Council (BAC) leaders on Monday, aiming to strengthen cooperation between Bangladesh and Malaysia in global accreditation practices.
Dato’ Professor Dr Mohammad Shatar bin Sabran, Chief Executive Officer of MQA, presented the keynote paper at the event organised by DIU’s Institutional Qualification Assurance Cell (IQAC) at the university’s International Hall in Dhaka, the university said in a press release.
Professor Dr Md Akhtar Hossain Khan, Chairman of BAC, attended the event as chief guest, while Dr Md Sabur Khan, Chairman of Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh and Founder and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of DIU, chaired the programme.
Professor Dr Md Wakilur Rahman, Member of BAC, attended as an honoured guest. The event also featured remarks from Abul Saman bin Taip, Director of MQA; Professor Dr M R Kabir, Vice-Chancellor of DIU; Professor Dr Mohammad Masum Iqbal, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of DIU; and Professor Dr Mostafa Kamal, Director of IQAC.
In his keynote presentation titled “Quality Assurance in the Global Era and the Future of Higher Education”, Dato’ Professor Dr Mohammad Shatar bin Sabran highlighted the evolving role of quality assurance in strengthening higher education systems worldwide.
He explained MQA’s functions, including maintaining the Malaysian Qualifications Register, developing qualification frameworks, providing accreditation, ensuring the quality of higher education providers and programmes, and facilitating recognition of qualifications.
He said quality assurance should remain the highest priority for higher education institutions in the global era.
He also discussed the evolution of the Malaysian Qualifications Framework, the accreditation cycle, outcome-based education, continuous quality improvement, global rankings, international recognition, micro-credentials and flexible learning approaches.
Professor Dr Md Akhtar Hossain Khan said BAC had already started accreditation and quality recognition activities for higher education institutions in Bangladesh, with several academic programmes receiving accreditation.
He said the importance of quality assurance and accreditation had increased due to emerging challenges such as artificial intelligence, automation and climate change.
The BAC chairman said universities needed to develop a strong quality-based culture and ensure continuous improvement. He added that BAC’s objective was to support universities in the accreditation process rather than create pressure on them.
He also highlighted the importance of international cooperation, capacity building in quality assurance and academic mobility, saying BAC and MQA could work together to build quality culture and institutional capacity.
Dr Md Sabur Khan highlighted emerging education trends, particularly the importance of micro-credential courses in meeting changing industry and professional needs.
He also discussed DIU’s initiative to introduce the “Professor of Practice” position to strengthen industry engagement and highlighted the university’s plan to establish an industrial zone to expand practical learning opportunities and employability for students.
Through the discussion, DIU said it aims to strengthen international collaboration and institutional quality culture while creating a platform for knowledge exchange between Bangladesh and Malaysia on higher education accreditation and quality assurance.
