The US has said ensuring young women's equal access to education is central to gender equality. Women and girls have the right to learn, innovate, compete, and succeed in the global economy, it added. The US is working to make this vision a reality through its Global Women's Economic Security strategy. From January 21 to 22, US Senior Official to the Secretary of State in the Office of Global Women's Issues Kat Fotovat participated in the 10th Commencement Ceremony of the Asian University for Women (AUW) in Chattogram where she delivered remarks and met with students and faculty. Read More: FBCCI signs MoU with AUW to award scholarships to 30 students annually

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Asian University for Women (AUW) have entered into a new partnership to pave the way for female garment workers in Bangladesh to fulfill their dreams of higher studies. BGMEA and AWU will collaborate to expand, enhance and promote the education, leadership and empowerment of female garment workers in Bangladesh. BGMEA President Faruque Hassan and Vice Chancellor of AUW Dr Rubana Huq inked the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on behalf of their respective sides at a hotel in Chattogram on Sunday (January 22, 2023). Also Read: 2022 was a year of turning around: BGMEA From BGMEA, first Vice President Syed Nazrul Islam, Vice President Shahidullah Azim, Directors Asif Ashraf, Md. Mohiuddin Rubel and M Ahsanul Hoq, Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on UD-Woven & Knit Md Nurul Islam while from AUW its Founder Kamal Ahmad, Dean of Arts and Sciences Dr Beena Khurana, Board of Trustee Member Catherine Watters-Sasanuma, Board Member of AUW Support Foundation Kathy Matsui, and acting Dean of Students Suman Chatterjee were present at the MoU signing ceremony. The collaboration aims to create an opportunity for more female workers from Bangladesh’s garment factories to study higher education at AUW free of cost with support from their respective employers. Under the new partnership, BGMEA will cooperate with AUW to facilitate enrolment of 500 qualified females working in RMG factories in Bangladesh in AUW’s five-year university education “Pathways for Promise” program. Read More: Chattogram BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology starts journey Pathways for Promise, an initiative within the AUW and BGMEA, provides free education to talented women from among Bangladeshi garment factory workers. Already over 90 girls, who are RMG workers, are studying at AUW. During the years of studying, the factory authorities pay regular monthly salary to the workers enrolled in AUW so that their families do not face any hardship, according to BGMEA. AUW provides each Pathways scholar a financial aid package that fully covers all costs of room, board, tuition, books and supplies, primary health care and other basic needs throughout the entire duration of her participation in the Pathways for Promise Program. Read More: Safe Digital Space: AUW, UNDP to promote intercommunal, religious harmony BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said the RMG industry is not only the biggest of export earnings but also a means for millions of people to fulfill their dreams. “The Pathways for Promise is a glowing example of how the RMG industry contributes to women realizing their dreams, earning dignity in family and society with education and employment,” he said. “I believe, through today’s MoU signing ceremony, we will take the partnership between AUW and BGMEA to another level and we will be able to contribute more,” he added. Read More: HSBC, AUW launch one-year master of science in apparel, retail management programme Only women who have completed high school are eligible to apply and have to take selection exams. Those who passed are interviewed and successful get admission to the university for higher studies.

The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and The Asian University for Women (AUW) together Saturday (January 21, 2023) announced the launch of the "HSBC-AUW School of Apparel and Retail Management," a one-year master of science in apparel and retail management programme. The programme will be guided by a global academic committee chaired by Dipak C Jain, former dean of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He also served as the dean of INSEAD in France. The HSBC-AUW School of Apparel and Retail Management will prepare young female professionals with expertise in fashion, merchandising, supply chain management, brand management, and occupational health and safety issues, said a media statement Saturday. Read: Diesel import from India via pipeline from June: Nasrul Hamid The programme was launched at the "HSBC-AUW School of Apparel: Leading the Future of Fashion" at Chattogram hotel. Education Minister Dipu Moni sent a video message to the event. Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, AUW founder Kamal Ahmad, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association President Faruque Hassan, former Denmark prime minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, US state department senior official Katrina Fotovat, The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam, and HSBC Bangladesh CEO Md Mahbub ur Rahman, joined the programme. Read: 5th BMCCI LegalTalk seminar on tax law, foreign investment held AUW Vice-Chancellor Rubana Huq said: "Today, the apparel industry in Bangladesh needs a homegrown talent pool, which will serve the needs of the sector. So, to prepare cohorts ready to take on the challenge of employability in Bangladesh, AUW is happy to launch the School of Apparel with HSBC Bangladesh." Amanda Murphy, head of commercial banking (South and Southeast Asia) at HSBC said: "The global apparel industry is evolving rapidly alongside emerging technologies, changing consumption patterns and an increasing focus on sustainability." "We are proud to partner with the Asian University for Women to launch the HSBC-AUW School of Apparel and the Masters programme to equip future talent with the expertise to drive continued innovation in Bangladesh's largest export industry. Importantly, this programme supports the professional and leadership development of women, providing better access to opportunities through inclusion and fostering long-term growth for Bangladesh and its communities." Read More: In the era of RMG, showcasing the Majestic Silks of Bangladesh Academic excellence, industry relevance and social significance would be the defining features of the programme. The graduates would be technologically savvy, have superior communication skills and gain up-to-date, contemporary knowledge and skills needed for apparel and retail management. Under the programme, 13 courses will be offered to students of AUW. And 50 students will be enrolled in the inaugural year. HSBC will help set up the school by designing Mac labs and providing support for curriculum and faculty, IT and class infrastructure and education materials. Read More: Bangladesh to become 9th largest consumer market globally by 2030: HSBC

Eminent Rabindra Sangeet exponent Rezwana Choudhury Bannya has sought the support of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) in nurturing the slum children with education and life-changing competencies and skills. Rezwana, also principal and chairman of Shurer Dhara and team leader of the Music for Development (MfD), paid a courtesy visit to BGMEA President Faruque Hassan in the capital Sunday. During the meeting, Rezwana informed Faruque about the objectives and activities of MfD, a project of Shurer Dhara, to change the lives of children growing up in Dhaka slums. Read More: BGMEA urges global brands, buyers to adopt strategies for promoting mutual growth BGMEA President Faruque Hassan expressed the interest of the trade association in supporting slum children under the Music for Development Project. This project aims at providing a cultural platform to underprivileged children by bringing them under the umbrella of Shurer Dhara. Faruque highlighted the initiatives and activities of the BGMEA in supporting the backward sections of society, especially in creating opportunities for higher education for female garment workers. He said the BGMEA in collaboration with Asian University for Women (AUW) has created higher education opportunities for girls working in garment factories. "Currently, more than 90 young female workers have enrolled in the Asian University for Women to pursue higher studies." Read More: Bangladesh's apparel shipment to US rises 51% during January-September Also, the trade association runs five schools in Dhaka, Gazipur and Chittagong for workers' children and provides free books, study materials and stipends to meritorious students.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) will award scholarships to 30 female students per year for higher education giving them an opportunity to study at the Asian University for Women (AUW). The apex trade body of the country on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the AUW. FBCCI President Md Jashim Uddin and AUW Vice-Chancellor Dr Rubana Huq signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations. The MoU will remain effective for five years initially, said the FBCCI. Asian University for Women seeks to graduate women who will be skilled and innovative professionals, service-oriented leaders in the businesses and communities in which they will work and live, and promoters of intercultural understanding and sustainable human and economic development in Asia and throughout the world. The FBCCI came forward to enable underprivileged women with the access to higher study as part of their responsibility to the society, the FBCCI chief said while speaking at the signing ceremony. This initiative will improve women empowerment and participation in the country’s development process, the President noted. Read: ILO, FBCCI team up to boost workplace safety, healthcare in 10 sectors Jashim said other countries maintain an intimate relationship between academia and industry and Bangladesh also needs to enhance the collaboration. “Therefore, FBCCI has established linkages with BUET and North South University.” AUW Vice-Chancellor Rubana Huq said underprivileged women have to struggle with many hurdles in accessing higher studies. “Her university aims at inclusiveness to ensure that no women are left behind. Currently 1300 female students from 19 countries are studying in Asian University for Women,” she informed. FBCCI Senior Vice President Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu remembered the great contributions of the former President late Annisul Huq to the development of trade and commerce and the construction of different chambers’ infrastructure. The founder and CEO of Asian University for Women Kamal Ahmed said that no country can move forward leaving half of the population behind. He also called for ensuring quality education and universal right to higher education. Among others, FBCCI Vice President Md. Amin Helaly, Salahuddin Alamgir, Md. Habib Ullah Dawn, MA Razzak Khan Raj, Directors and Secretary General Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque were also present at the signing ceremony.

The Asian University for Women (AUW) Math and Science Summer School 2022 programme recently concluded with a closing ceremony held in Chattagram. Students were awarded certificates of merit in recognition of completing the programme. Six students were awarded the "Emerging Woman Scholar Award" for their exemplary curricular engagement and leadership initiative. In 2019, Chevron Bangladesh launched a partnership with the AUW to inspire young women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The programme was resumed in 2022 after two years of Covid. The AUW Summer School 2022 selected 71 bright female high school students from all over Bangladesh to participate in a diversified four-week programme focused on math, science and computer coding. Read: Bangladesh's RMG one of the front-runners in sustainability marathon: BGMEA The programme is aimed at enhancing the skills and competencies of these students to help them stand out in STEM-oriented studies and careers. The Summer School 2022 was held from July 17 to August 11. The curriculum of the programme focused on physics, mathematics, and bioinformatics. These courses were taught by a cohort of international and local faculty with excellent academic backgrounds. Math and science courses were led by Joshua Talbot, and computer coding courses were led by Cole Baker from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Board of Trustees of the Asian University for Women (AUW) has appointed Dr. Rubana Huq as the new Vice Chancellor of the University.  Dr. Huq who earned wide prominence as the first female president of the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), is a published poet who earned her PhD in Literature from India’s Jadavpur University.  Dr. Huq has been a trustee of AUW and, was more recently, elected as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, AUW said on Tuesday. She was instrumental in launching AUW’s Pathways for Promise program that enables exceptionally talented workers from Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) factories to enroll at AUW.  She was named as one of BBC’s top 100 women in the world in 2013 and again in 2014.  Dr. Huq is currently also a Visiting Fellow at the Stern School of Business at New York University and the Asia Center at Harvard University. In announcing Dr. Huq’s appointment, Education Minister and Chair of the AUW Board of Trustees Dr Dipu Moni said in Rubana Huq, the trustees found an exemplary leader and administrator to lead AUW to its next stage of development.  "She will bring the high intellectual qualities that make AUW a special place but also the fine managerial and financial acumen that AUW needs in constructing its new campus in Chittagong and stabilizing its finances to make the institution sustainable over the long run," Dipu Moni said. While accepting the appointment, the incoming Vice Chancellor Rubana Huq said AUW has always been a symbol of creativity and ingenuity to her. "The institution’s unassailable commitment to both scholarship and education, the caliber of the faculty, and the spirit of the students from all over Asia make AUW unique." READ: BGMEA election: Panel with Rubana Huq submits nominations She also said, "With the talent and the values we have, backed by the vision of the Founder, Kamal Ahmad and the guidance of the Chair, Dr. Dipu Moni and other trustees, I am convinced that we will emerge as a symbol of ultimate meritocracy with the aspiration to be better every day. ” Dr. Huq succeeds noted political scientist Professor Nirmala Rao who retired from AUW after serving as AUW’s Vice Chancellor for five years. In acknowledgment of Professor Rao’s service to AUW, Minister Dipu Moni said that “AUW was fortunate to have the benefit of Professor Rao’s leadership in directing the University for five years.  Professor Rao brought to AUW her wide global experience in higher education to help shape AUW as a regional center of excellence.  We owe a huge debt to Professor Rao for her contributions to AUW.” Dr. Huq will be supported on the academic programs by two deans:  Dr. Beena Khurana, a cognitive psychologist with a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley who had previously been on the faculty of Cornell and Sussex Universities as well as at California Polytechnic where she directed the MBA Program and Dr. David Taylor, a historian of South Asia who served as Pro Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) as well as Vice Provost and Interim Provost of the Aga Khan University in Pakistan.