The British Council hosted the Bangladesh-UK Alumni Network (BUKAN) event at the British Council, Fuller Road premises on 25 March 2020. This event was organised to highlight and celebrate the longstanding education ties between the UK and Bangladesh. It made an effort to showcase how the knowledge and experience of the UK higher education has contributed to the individual’s life as well as the social and economic development of Bangladesh. Over 120 UK alumni from diverse sectors attended the programme. Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP, Speaker, Bangladesh Parliament, who herself is an UK Alumnus was the chief guest of the event while Kanbar Hossein-Bor, UK Deputy High Commissioner to Bangladesh was the special guest of the evening.
Tom Miscioscia, Director Bangladesh, British Council welcomed the alumni and opened the event with a short message on the UK higher education and his experience of it. Tom shared his thoughts, how members of this platform can volunteer for the development of our communities. Two more UK Alumni, Ishret Binte Wahid, Senior Coordinator, CARE Bangladesh and Dr Rafiqul Islam, Professor, Dhaka University and President Bangladesh Association of Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows (BACSAF) cherished their days at the UK which set the tone of the evening. Kanbar Hossein-Bor thanked the alumni for their participation and their keen interest in contributing from their respective positions. He expressed his hope that going forward BUKAN will be able to create a positive impact with the help of its diverse members. Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury made the closing speech of the evening. She cherished her days at the UK and shared with everyone how the UK education positively contributed to her career. Both the British Deputy High Commissioner to Bangladesh and the Speaker discussed about the long-standing educational ties between Bangladesh and the UK. The event ended on a high note with the alumni engaging in networking over dinner.
There are around 20,000 Bangladeshi UK alumni living in the country and BUKAN has been working since 2012 with the aim of uniting them under one umbrella to give them the platform to leverage their skills and knowledge for creating a positive impact on the socio-economic conditions of Bangladesh. The British Council plans to arrange more events in the coming days for BUKAN members to engage with key social and economic issues.
