The recent arrival in Australia of the first students from the UTS College partnership with Premier University in Chittagong, Bangladesh, has coincided with a meeting between Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud.
At a joint press conference in Dhaka, Foreign Minister Wong commented on the warm relationship between the two countries, founded on more than 50 years of diplomatic relations. She emphasized the importance of education, saying, “We are deepening our economic relationship, and I am pleased today to confirm that Australia will provide additional funding for technical education and training colleges.”
Cooperation in the field of education
Foreign Minister Dr Mahmud also remarked on the benefits of the expanding bilateral relationship. He said, “There are now almost 100,000 Bangladeshis working and living in Australia, and we have talked about skilled migration and cooperation in the field of education. One Australian university, UTS, has developed a joint program with Premier University Chittagong. And the first batch of students within that program is already at UTS after completing their first year at Premier University.”
The partnership, which commenced in 2022, launched UTS College pathway programs in Bangladesh, giving students the option of enrolling in Diploma of IT or Diploma of Business.
A smooth transition to UTS
Abdallah Faruk, one of the first students to arrive from Chattogram has now commenced second year of Bachelor of Computing Science (Honours) at UTS. He says it was quite straightforward to continue his studies in Australia. “I arrived in Sydney on my birthday, and I’ve been here for more than three months now,” he says. “My transition from Premier University to UTS was very smooth. My part was just to maintain my studies and the rest was taken care of by people who were eager to help me. They were the most passionate, motivated team I have encountered in all my years of studying. All I had to do was focus on my studies."
Abdallah looks forward to experiencing more of Australian student life. “Australia is a multicultural country,” he says. “It’s a perfect place to start. I hope to connect with people with various cultures and experiences and hear stories from people all over the world.”
Find out more about the Bangladesh partnership>