Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milan said the government is working on a “reverse brain drain” initiative to encourage students to contribute to innovation and take a leading role globally, while addressing an orientation programme for newly admitted students at Gazipur Agricultural University (GAU).
The minister made the remarks on Saturday (11 July) at the university’s Begum Sufia Kamal Auditorium, where an orientation programme was held for 546 students admitted to the Summer-2026 term. The event was organised alongside the inauguration of a tree plantation campaign under the government’s ‘Plant 250 million trees in five years’ programme announced by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
A colourful rally was organised on the university campus, led by Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milan. The rally was joined by GAU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr GAM Mostafizur Rahman, Gazipur-2 constituency MP M Manzurul Karim Rony, the Gazipur Deputy Commissioner, university teachers, students and officials.
Following the rally, the Education Minister inaugurated the tree plantation programme by planting fruit-bearing and medicinal saplings on the university premises.
The orientation programme was chaired by GAU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr GKM Mostafizur Rahman, with Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milan attending as the chief guest. Gazipur-2 MP M Manzurul Karim Rony and Gazipur Deputy Commissioner Md Nurul Karim Bhuiyan were present as special guests.
The programme was also attended by DUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Mohammad Iqbal, GAU Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Zahidur Rahman, Treasurer Professor Dr Md Shafiul Islam Afrad, deans of various faculties, directors, heads of departments, provosts, teachers, officers and employees.
Among the 546 newly admitted students attending the event were 513 undergraduate (BS) students, 30 postgraduate (MS) students and three PhD students.
The programme began with a welcome speech by university Registrar Md Abdullah Mridha. New students later shared their experiences, followed by a documentary presentation highlighting GAU’s achievements and research activities.
GAU Proctor Professor Dr Mohammad Saiful Alam provided guidance to the students on discipline, ethics, university rules and regulations, and admission-related issues.
During the event, the Vice-Chancellor presented crests to the Education Minister and attending MPs. The guests, including the MP and Deputy Commissioner, later delivered speeches.
In his presidential address, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr GKM Mostafizur Rahman said GKU had become one of the country’s most trusted institutions for higher education and agricultural research, with notable achievements in national and international rankings.
He said GAU secured the top position among all public universities in Bangladesh in the Times Higher Education (THE) Sustainability Impact Rating 2026. The university ranked 82nd globally in SDG-1, 66th in SDG-2 and within the 101–200 range in SDG-4.
He also said GKU ranked 23rd among the world’s top 100 universities in the “Technology Transfer towards Economic Development” category of the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) 2026, becoming the only public university in Bangladesh to achieve the recognition. In the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2026, the university ranked first among agricultural universities and third among public universities in Bangladesh.
The Vice-Chancellor added that six advanced varieties had received institutional support for development after he assumed office. He said GAU had contributed to the country’s agriculture through the development of 97 high-yielding varieties and more than 20 technologies.
Addressing the students, Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milan said, “Students must contribute to innovation and take a leading role globally in the future. For this, the present government is working on reverse brain drain.”
He also said Bangladesh’s universities would be developed following the models of institutions such as Harvard, Cambridge and MIT. The minister answered questions raised by students during the programme.
The day-long event concluded with a vote of thanks from Director of Student Affairs Professor Dr Mohammad Sharif Rayhan.
