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Saturday | November 07, 2026 | Dhaka

UGC to open ‘3rd Language Learning Centers’ at 50 universities

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:08 AM, 07 November 2026

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has taken an initiative to establish Third Language Learning Centres at 50 universities across the country to prepare students for international education, employment, research and global communication.

UGC Chairman Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed announced the initiative while inaugurating the second international conference, titled “Epistemic Reconfigurations in Language Studies (ERLS) 2026”, at BRAC University in the capital.

The conference was organised by the BRAC Institute of Languages (BIL) at the university auditorium.

Mamun Ahmed said proficiency in foreign languages was no longer merely an additional academic qualification but an essential skill for higher education, employment, cultural exchange, research collaboration and international relations.

He said foreign language education should be treated as a key component of the national skills development strategy to prepare a skilled, confident and globally competitive young generation.

The UGC chairman stressed the need to expand foreign language learning opportunities while retaining Bengali as the foundation of national identity and culture.

He said students did not have to choose between their mother tongue and foreign languages. Instead, the aim should be to develop international communication skills while respecting the mother tongue and preserving cultural identity.

He also said the government was placing special emphasis on expanding foreign language education, with initiatives under way to increase opportunities to learn Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

The proposed learning centres at 50 universities would play an important role in achieving this goal, he added.

Mamun Ahmed called for an education system in which Bengali remained the pillar of national identity, English served as a medium for accessing global knowledge, and other foreign languages opened up opportunities for higher education, employment, research and international engagement.

BRAC University Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Arshad Mahmud Chowdhury chaired the inaugural session.

Founder and Adviser of the BRAC Institute of Languages Syeda Sarwat Abed, Kosovo Ambassador to Bangladesh Lulzim Pllana and BIL Director and Conference Professor Shaila Sultana also addressed the event.