Message from Vice Chancellor

vc sirProf. Dr. M A Mannan
Vice-Chancellor, Bangladesh Open University.

It gives me a great pleasure to welcome you at the website of Bangladesh Open University (BOU), the only public university for distance learning in the country. This university is always open for every citizen of Bangladesh staying anywhere in the world. This university provides education of international standard at your doorstep with affordable cost including the course materials. The fee structure of this university is perhaps the lowest compared to the fee structures of other universities.

BOU is the only university in the country where you can continue your education along with your job, business and domestic responsibilities. Dropouts, socioeconomically disadvantaged population and working people are the main target groups of the university. Women are especially encouraged to get admission into the programs of BOU by choice. BOU is planning to introduce a number of educational programs for women population.

As the Chief Executive of BOU, my priority will be to strengthen the basic and higher education in the nooks and corners of the country, especially in the deprived rural areas of Bangladesh. We have highly qualified and experienced faculty at our main campus and we will strengthen our faculty to provide higher education of international standard in rural areas. You can visit the nearest regional campuses (Regional centers)/Sub-Regional Centers to obtain BOU prospectus and admission details of your desired program.

In the world of today, the modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is playing significant role in providing facilities for the delivery system and quality education. BOU is making new strides in employing most modern communication technology for effective delivery education. The rapid advancement in ICT has helped a great deal in eliminating the physical distances. With latest innovations in computer and communication technology, the world has become a global village where information is readily available and accessible to everyone. BOU has taken full advantage of the modern ICT to facilitate and support its students all over the country, e.g., provision of student-related information through web (with data bases at back end), Learning Management System (LMS), Interactive Virtual Class Rooms (IVCR), Mobile Technology, pre-recorded Video Programs and Live Programs (Live Streaming) through the use of National TV channel (BTV) as well as Sattelite TV Channel (Sansad TV Channel), Radio Programs for both formal and informal academic courses in collaboration with Bangladesh Radio and Video Conferencing for better quality education. We also use the services of expert faculty members and external prominent resources persons for conducting week-end class-lectures, workshops and Teacher-Students Dialogue.

I wish all of our learners/students very bright future. I hope that after getting education at BOU, you will become an asset for the country and you will be able to play an important role in accelerating the rate of economic and social development of Bangladesh. Let our dreams come true.

 

About Bangladesh Open University

The need for an open university in Bangladesh was felt long ago. The history of distance education in Bangladesh dates back to 1956, 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, which was upgraded to Audio-Visual Education Centre in 1962. No further progress in distance education was made till 1971.

After Independence, Bangladesh faced the challenge of meeting the educational needs of mass people. To meet this challenge the necessity for a new mode of education was widely felt. As a sequel to that feeling, the School Broadcasting Pilot Project was launched in 1978. The project was transformed into National Institute of Educational Media and Technology (NIEMT) in 1983.

NIEMT was later replaced by  the Bangladesh Institute of Distance Education (BIDE) in 1985. Apart from producing audio-visual materials, BIDE offered the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) program in distance mode. The success of BIDE encouraged policymakers to take up a major plan for establishing an open university. The plan became a reality in October 1992 when the Bangladesh Open University Act 1992 was passed in the Parliament.

Bangladesh Open University (BOU) at a Glance :

Established October 21, 1992
Type Public University
Mode of Delivery Open and Distance Learning
Chancellor Md. Abdul Hamid
Honorable President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. M A Mannan
Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Khondaker Mokaddem Hossain
Treasurer Prof. Dr. Ashfaque Hossain
Total Students (Formal Programs) 4,10,694 (On 31/12/2015)
Location Board Bazar, Gazipur, Bangladesh
Area 35 Acres
Academic Schools 6
Administrative Divisions 11
Total Academic Programs 51 (Formal Programs: 32; Non-Forman Programs: 19)
Regional Centers/Campuses 12
Sub Regional Centers 80
Study Centers 1478
Total Teachers/Tutors 26625
Examination Centers 1194

Affiliations/Membership:

  • The Commonwealth of Learning (COL)
  • SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning (SACODiL)
  • Asian Association of Open Universities (AAOU)
  • International Council for Open and Distance Learning (ICODL)
  • Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU)
  • Commonwealth Educational Media Center for Asia (CEMCA)
  • Association of SAARC Universities (ASU)
  • Global Alliance for Transnational Education (GATE)
  • International Research Foundation for Open Learning (IRFOL)
  • Commonwealth Open Schooling Association (COMOSA)
  • International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE)

International Collaboration:

  • Open University of Sri Lanka
  • Open University, UK
  • Open University of Malaysia
  • Yunan Open University, China

On-going Projects

  • Devlopment of E-Learning Centre and Interactive Virtual Class Rooms by Korean International Cooperation Agency
  • INSPIRE Project for Devlopment of English Teaching by British Council
  • Basic Campus Network Project, Financed by BdREN, HEQEP, UGC