University Grants Commission of Bangladesh

The UGC is facing significant pushback from public university academics regarding a new policy to centralize research funding, which critics argue undermines institutional autonomy.

Established 16 December 1972 by Presidential Order (P.O. No. 10 of 1973); operationalised in 1973. Headquartered at UGC Bhaban, Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. As of May 2026, oversees 57 public universities, 116 private universities, 3 international universities, and 2 special universities. Staff count of approximately 350 is from Wikipedia sourced data; exact sanctioned posts are not publicly documented. The annual_budget_bdt field is null because the UGC's own operational budget (excluding grants it disburses to universities) is not disaggregated in available public sources; the FY2024-25 Tk 12,263 crore figure covers both UGC's own allocation and the grants disbursed to 57 public universities, so it cannot be assigned to this entity alone. Prof Mamun Ahmed (PhD virology, Nihon University Japan; post-doc, University of Pittsburgh; 53 peer-reviewed publications) is the 15th UGC Chairman; he was previously Pro-VC Academic at Dhaka University from 12 September 2024. Outgoing chairman SMA Faiz resigned citing health; Mamun was announced 16 March 2026 and joined 18 March 2026 (one BSS source says 18 March, New Age says 19 March; the BSS article is treated as more authoritative as it reports the handover ceremony). The draft Bangladesh Higher Education Commission Ordinance 2025, circulated December 2025, proposes replacing UGC with a body whose chair holds cabinet-minister rank and commissioners hold Appellate Division judge rank; its status remains uncertain pending the 13th parliamentary election. HEQEP (P106216) was the predecessor World Bank project (2009-2018, USD 238.1 million spent); HEAT (P168961, 2023-2028, Tk 4,016.57 crore) is the successor. The May 14 VC appointment batch was issued by SHED, not UGC; UGC's role is advisory (recommending panels), not appointive -- the appointing authority is the President on advice of SHED/Ministry. UGC member Prof Tanzimuddin Khan's resignation on 23 April 2026 and his allegations of institutional corruption have not been independently verified by The Daily Star.