9TH MILE (RI-BHOI), April 8 - With the goal of improving mutual understanding between the people of the Northeastern region of India and Bangladesh by setting up a platform for bilateral communication, cooperation and collaboration in education, the International Convention of Vice Chancellors (ICVC-2019) of Universities of Bangladesh and North East India was organised by Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet under the patronage of University Grant Commission, Bangladesh and in association with University of Science & Technology Meghalaya(USTM) on Saturday at Sylhet.
It was attended by more than 30 Vice Chancellors of universities, apart from Directors of institutions and top researchers from both countries and was graced by Dr Dipu Moni, Education Minister of Bangladesh and Prof A Mannan, Chairman, UGC Bangladesh apart from others.
The Convention has unanimously decided to form an international education corridor and work collaboratively towards promotion of higher education, culture, brotherhood and peace. It was decided that the meet will be a regular affair to be held in different countries on rotational basis and that the Gauhati University will be hosting the next ICVC while the other universities in the North East would be co-organisers.
Terming ICVC-2019 as an exceptional initiative, Dr Dipu Moni said, �Connectivity between India and Bangladesh has to be re-established and this is very essential. We are always grateful to India and the people of North-eastern region for their help during the War of Liberation. The connectivity should not only be in terms of waterways, road connectivity or airways, but it has to be in terms of connectivity of ideas of people, their minds and hearts. Unitedly we can build a new intellectual powerhouse. If there is no peace, there cannot be prosperity�, she added.
Addressing the Convention, Prof Abdul Mannan said that Bangladesh looks more to the West while the North Eastern part of India remained unexplored in the field of education and there is an urgent need to explore this for mutual benefit. ICVC is significant in the sense that it will open doors for collaboration.
Mahbubul Hoque, Chancellor of USTM, called for extensive collaborative effort in education and conquer the hearts and minds of the people by bringing peace and progress. ICVC 2019 is a timely action in this direction. �I am confident that this convention would open doors for further networking in the field of education among the ASEAN countries including Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India�s North East in the near future�, he added.
From North East India, 16 Vice Chancellors of Central, State and private universities participated in the Convention along with their Bangladeshi counterparts. The heads of institutions made presentations on their respective universities and engaged in a brainstorming to decide the road ahead.
