The Bangladesh Open University (BOU) (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ উন্মুক্ত বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় (বাউবি)),established on 21 October 1992, is a public university with its main campus in Board Bazar, Gazipur District, Dhaka Division. It is the 8th largest university in the world according to enrolment.
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As the only public university in Bangladesh to use distance education as a method of delivery, BOU is mandated to "promote through multimedia; instruction of every standard and knowledge – both general and scientific – by means of any form of communications technology, to raise the standard of education and to give the people educational opportunities by democratizing education and creating a class of competent people by raising the standard of education of the people generally."[3]
Distance education was first introduced into Bangladesh when the Education Directorate was assigned with the responsibility for distribution of 200 radio receivers to educational institutions. This led to the creation of an Audio-Visual Cell and later the Audio-Visual Education Centre (AVEC) in 1962.
Upon achieving independence in 1971, mass education was viewed as a priority in the new nation. The School Broadcasting Programme (SBP) was launched in 1978. The project was later expanded to become the National Institute of Educational Media and Technology (NIEMT) in 1983. In 1985, the NIEMT was renamed the Bangladesh Institute of Distance Education (BIDE) which offered, apart from audio-visual materials, a Bachelor of Education (BEd) programme via distance learning validated by the University of Rajshahi. The success of BIDE encouraged policymakers to take up a major plan for establishing an open university.[6][7][8]
In 1992, the plan came into fruition with the tabling and passing of the BOU Act 1992 and Prime Minister was the chancellor of the Bangladesh Open University. On 22 June 2009, a bill was placed in the parliament to assign the president as chancellor replacing the prime minister.[9]
List of vice-chancellors
Professor Dr. Syed Humayun Akhter (present)
Professor Dr. M. A. Mannan (2012 to 2021)
Academics
Bangladesh Open University (Dhaka Regional Center) gate
BOU offers two types of programmes, formal and non-formal, in seven schools and a network of 12 regional resource Centres, 80 co-ordinating offices and 1,000 tutorial centres nationwide.
Study programmes
A total of 21 formal academic programmes are offered by BOU. Formal programmes are academic programmes that result in the awarding of an academic qualification up to a master's degree upon completion and examination.
As low rate of literacy remains an issue in Bangladesh, non-formal programmes are conducted by the BOU to create awareness and impart knowledge about health, environment, disaster management, basic science, agriculture, food, nutrition and other branches of knowledge for human development. To date, 19 non-formal programmes have been initiated in the areas of environmental protection, basic science, elementary mathematics, agriculture, bank services, marketing management, health, nutrition, population and gender issues.
Faculties
BOU's 11 divisions are organized into six schools:
School of Education (SoE)
Programs offered:
Bachelor of Education (BEd)
Master of Education (MEd)
Certificate in Education (CEd)
School of Social Science, Humanities & Languages (SSHL)
Programs offered:
Master of Arts (MA)/ Master of Social Science (MSS) (Preliminary)
Master of Arts (MA)/Master of Social Science (MSS) (Final)
Bachelor of Law (Hons) LLB (Honours)
Bachelor of Arts (Honours)/ Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) :
a) Bangla,
b) Political Science
c) Economics
d) Sociology
e) English Language and Literature
f) History
g) Islamic History and Culture and other subjects.
Bachelor of Arts (BA)/Bachelor of Social Science (BSS)
Bachelor of English Language Teaching (BELT)
Certificate in Arabic Language Proficiency (CALP)
Certificate in English Language Proficiency (CELP)
School of Business (SoB)
Programs offered:
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Professional Master of Business Administration (PMBA)
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering (B.Sc. in CSE) -Engineering Degree
Master of Disability Management and Rehabilitation (MDMR) -for MBBS Doctors
Master of Public Health
Post Graduate Diploma in Medical Ultrasound (PGDMU) -for MBBS Doctors
Diploma in Computer Science and Application (DCSA)
Upcoming
Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communication Engineering (B.Sc. in ECE)
Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (B.Pharm.)
Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Software Engineering (MSSE)
Open School
Programs offered:
Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Bangla language
Masters in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Bangla language
Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS)-3 years duration
Secondary School Certificate (SSC)
Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC)
A full list of the regional resource centres and tutorial centres affiliated with BOU can be found from BOU's website.[12]
Accreditation
BOU is granted the authority to confer degrees under Clause 6(c) of the BOU Act 1992. BOU is recognised as a national university by the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh, a statutory body attached to the Ministry of Education.
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