National University (NU) Vice-Chancellor Professor ASM Amanullah has announced the introduction of fully funded scholarships for students from SAARC countries.
Higher education opportunities will be opened completely free of cost for Nepalese students at NU.
Amanullah said that this initiative will open new horizons in education, research, and cultural exchange, and will further strengthen higher education cooperation in South Asia.
He made these remarks at an international conference titled “Applied Psychology: Behavioural Science Advancement” held on Thursday at National College in Dhumbarahi, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Organised in a cross-cultural and multidisciplinary hybrid model, the conference was attended by researchers, psychologists, academics, and policymakers from various countries.
Speaking on the occasion, Amanullah noted that as the world’s second-largest university, NU currently plays a vital role in Bangladesh’s higher education sector, with nearly 40 lakh students and over 2,500 affiliated colleges.
The university, which conducts higher education activities in around 50 subjects, counts Psychology as one of its major disciplines.
Highlighting the post-July mass uprising period, the VC remarked that many students in the country had gone through mental trauma and shock.
“To address this situation, international cooperation, efficient counselling systems, and generating a sufficient number of professional psychologists are now urgent demands of the time,” he said.
The VC emphasised that sustainable human resource development is impossible without ensuring the mental well-being of students. To achieve this goal, National University is implementing a long-term action plan to expand mental health services and develop skilled human resources.
Amanullah further revealed that the country currently faces an acute shortage of counselling, applied, and social psychologists. Against the current demand of at least 30,000 psychologists, only around 300 are active.
To overcome this crisis, top priority has been given to launching counselling services across all colleges and universities in a phased manner and creating the required number of skilled psychologists.
Stressing the importance of strengthening international cooperation in higher education and research, the VC shared that National University is working to forge partnerships with various universities and institutions worldwide for joint research, training, academic exchange, and mental health development programmes.
He added that Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have already been signed with several international universities, and an international conference on mental health will be organised soon, which will see participation from international experts.
The vice-chancellor urged Nepalese higher education institutions, including Kathmandu University, to capitalise on the newly announced scholarship opportunities for SAARC students.
He also expressed his hope for further expansion of education-and-research-based cooperation between Bangladesh and Nepal.
The conference was attended by SAARC Secretary-General Ambassador Golam Sarwar, Bangladesh Ambassador to Nepal Md Shafiqur Rahman, Kathmandu University Vice-Chancellor Professor Achyut Wagle, and NU Director of Physical Education and Culture Department Mohammad Shafiul Karim, alongside academics, psychologists, researchers, and university representatives from different countries.
