Asian University for Women (AUW) in Chittagong was inaugurated yesterday with Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus expressing the hope that the new university would bridge different nationalities, their cultures and values, and create new human beings who would be leaders to build societies free of all sorts of discrimination.
The globally famed economist said at the inaugural he expects the AUW to prepare students in a manner that 'they would not look for jobs, but create jobs for their own'.
Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, who was in the chair at the function held in the capital, said, "By bringing women from all across Asia, the university can help forge a new Asian identity that can be immensely beneficial in a region where economic prosperity has accrued unevenly."
The new identity, he said, "Can help our region in turning the extraordinary economic strides made by a few Asian countries known as the 'Asian Miracle' into a truly Asian phenomenon."
Fakhruddin, also chief patron of the AUW, lauded its decision to reserve one-half of its new enrolments to students who are the first in their families ever to enter university.
The inaugural held at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital was also addressed by Dr Hoon Eng Khoo, AUW's provost, Jack R meyer, chairman of the Board of AUW Support Foundation, and Lone Dybkjaer, co-chair of AUW International Support Committee. AUW President and CEO Kamal Ahmad moderated it.
The university opened its doors in March this year with Access Academy, a pre-collegiate bridge programme providing students with English language studies, math and quantitative reasoning, and computer skills training. It will open undergraduate classes in July next year.
It will educate promising young women from across South and South East Asia and the Middle East, with particular emphasis on inclusion of women from poor, rural and refugee populations.
The AUW's commitment to be open to students from different backgrounds is significant, the caretaker government chief said. "The result is not just fairness of opportunity but also the ability to harness new talents in the service of our communities."
He said no sustainable development could occur without half of the people (women) fully engaging in uplift activities of the nation. A university dedicated to the education and empowerment of women will not only change the landscape of higher education but also unleash the potential of half of the population.
Dr Yunus said, "The university is a melting pot for Asia and the world. It will be an example of an institution where students will not be confined in buildings, but will go to villages and learn from struggles of people. Such programmes should be part of curriculum."
The Grameen Bank founder and managing director hoped that young and bright women from across Asia will learn from each other at the AUW and help reduce gaps that cause conflicts.
Jack Meyer said women in the world, particularly in this part of the world, are deprived of due rights for various socio-cultural reasons. But it is good education that can turn them into leaders to shape the value system and bring revolutionary changes in their own societies, he added.
Hoon Eng Khoo said a practice in the region is that women in families take heavy burden but get less benefits.
Educated at the new international standard university, the women can surely take part in political leadership and cultural movements for changes, she noted.
Stanford University, California, will send two post doctoral fellows to serve at the AUW, while Aalborg University, Denmark, has entered an agreement to collaborate on establishing a graduate programme in Information & Communication Technology at the AUW, according to a press release.
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