Digital Higher Education in Bangladesh

Abstract

In the last two decades, the higher education sector of Bangladesh has expanded considerably through the establishment of hundreds of public and private universities, along with thousands of colleges with higher education provisions. This expansion aims to make higher education accessible, to generate new knowledge and to cultivate skilled human resources for the country's economic development. At the same time, Bangladesh has observed notable progress in digital infrastructure and digitalising its services, including education. This chapter explores the digitalisation of higher education in Bangladesh, portraying its benefits, challenges, and potentials. It also highlights how government policies, regulations, and the ‘Digital Bangladesh' agenda have generated opportunities and challenges for higher educational institutions. Furthermore, it explores how the country is progressing towards fulfilling the political promise of providing 'smart education' opportunities for its citizens through the ‘Smart Bangladesh' agenda. This chapter also sheds some light on employability in relation to the government's new ‘National Skills Development Policy 2023', considering the emerging digital higher education in the era of global digital transformation and the increasing intervention of artificial intelligence (AI) in every sphere of life. Finally, this chapter concludes by explaining the key issues, challenges and recommendations for the digitalisation of higher education in the context of Bangladesh.