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Sunday | October 18, 2026 | Dhaka

3-day ICKIEL-2026 conference opens at AUST

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:56 AM, 18 October 2026

Academics and education experts from home and abroad on Saturday called for comprehensive reforms in Bangladesh’s education system, stressing the need to combine science, artificial intelligence (AI), technology and moral values to prepare skilled human resources for emerging global challenges.

They made the call at the opening of the three-day International Conference on Knowledge Integration and Educational Leadership (ICKIEL-2026) at the Professor Dr MH Khan Auditorium of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) in the capital.

The conference is jointly organised by AUST, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) and the Bangladesh Institute of Islamic Thought (BIIT).

Speaking as the chief guest, USIM Vice-Chancellor Professor Dato’ Ts Dr Sharifudin bin Md Shaarani said Bangladesh had significant human potential that could be transformed into valuable human capital through an integrated education system.

“To transform this population into true human capital, an integrated education blending science, advanced technology, and moral values must be imparted,” he said.

He stressed that producing graduates equipped with AI skills alongside foundational knowledge was essential to developing a balanced workforce.

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr ABM Obaidul Islam and Bangladesh Accreditation Council Chairman Professor Dr Md Akhtar Hossain Khan attended the opening session as special guests.

Professor Dr Omar Hasan K Kasule Sr, chief executive of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), USA, and a Harvard scholar, delivered the keynote paper titled “Knowledge Integration and the Fourth Industrial Revolution”.

Former IUT and AUST Vice-Chancellor and BIIT Distinguished Fellow Professor Dr Muhammad Fazli Ilahi presided over the session.

AUST Extension Services Center Director Professor Dr Mohammad Sarwar Morshed delivered the welcome address, while BIIT Director General Professor Abdul Aziz presented the opening remarks.

AUST Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Ashraful Haque, International Islamic University Chittagong Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Mohammad Ali Azadi and USIM Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Dato’ Dr Nik Salida Suhaila binti Nik Saleh also spoke at the event.

Speakers said Bangladesh needed practical, future-oriented education, innovative research and stronger educational leadership to respond to rapid advances in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, AI and cybersecurity.

Organisers said researchers, scholars, policymakers and university vice-chancellors from at least 15 countries, including Bangladesh, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, Nigeria, India and Pakistan, were attending the conference.

Around 100 research papers will be presented during the event. Discussions will also examine international education models, including Malaysia’s Integrated Education, Turkey’s Maarifi Model and Indonesia’s Merdeka Curriculum.

Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon is scheduled to attend the closing ceremony as the chief guest on Monday, October 19.