Professor Dr. Mamun Ahmed, Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh, has called for ensuring transparency in evaluating the second-phase research proposals under the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) project. He made the directive during a discussion meeting with project officials and World Bank representatives on the project’s implementation progress and work plan.

The meeting was attended by UGC member Professor Dr. Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan, World Bank Senior Education Specialist and Task Team Leader T. M. Asaduzzaman, and HEAT Project Director Professor Dr. Asaduzzaman, among others. The UGC chairman emphasized that the evaluation of the Academic Transformation Fund (ATF) sub-projects must be completed carefully and within the scheduled timeframe, ensuring fairness and avoiding any confusion or controversy. The World Bank representative noted that the first-phase evaluations were conducted transparently and that the experience is being applied to other projects.

The UGC chairman also announced plans to hold a coordination meeting with the education, finance, and planning ministries to expedite implementation. The HEAT project is expected to be completed by 2028, with the current evaluation phase scheduled to conclude by June.