Student exchange program: Malaysian delegates visit the ISLM Department

To explore the possibility of fostering faculty/student exchange program and collaboration between the Department of Information Science and Library Management (ISLM), University of Dhaka, and the Faculty of Information Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia are in a stage to start. This exchange program is aiming to bring together researchers, academicians and LIS students of the University of Dhaka and UiTM to present their research results and academic activities. This platform provides opportunities for the delegates to exchange new ideas and experiences face to face, to establish research relations and to find further opportunities for future collaboration. Through this reciprocal activity, it is hoped that the staff and students from both institutions would be able to enrich knowledge, get insight into the Bangladeshi and Malaysian educational systems, develop professional individuality and experience life in a foreign land.

Under this process, a group of faculty members and students from Malaysia visited the ISLM Department of the University of Dhaka. They stayed at Dhaka for fifteen days from February 1 to 15 and participated in various academic and co-curriculum activities conducted by the department. Meanwhile, a group of faculty and students from ISLM Department, Dhaka University aim to visit UiTM later this year. A six-member delegation led by Prof. Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman of the Universiti Technologi MARA, Malaysia, Prof. Dr Kazi Mostak Gausul Hoq and Associate Prof. Dr Md. Anwarul Islam of Information Science & Library Management Department called on Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr Md. Akhtaruzzaman on February 03, 2020, at Vice-Chancellor office. During the meeting, they discussed the possibilities of undertaking joint collaborative academic and research programs between the University of Dhaka and the Universiti Technologi MARA, Malaysia. They stressed the need for producing skilled graduates at both the universities through training and internship programs. They also discussed the possibilities of signing an MoU between the two universities to introduce these programs.

Both parties envisage that through this exchange program, annually they would arrange for a group of students and faculty to visit each institution and can spend for up to two weeks working on an agreed itinerary. They would join in different academic activities, public lectures, learning sessions and other beneficial academic endeavours. Both universities are now working to sign an MoU for formalizing this program in their respective universities.