Mohammad Riaz, BAU:The inauguration ceremony of the internship programme for the 2020–21 academic session students of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) was held on Saturday at the Syed Nazrul Islam Conference Hall of the university.
The programme was chaired by Professor Dr. Md. Abdul Majid, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology. The chief guest was Agriculturist Md. Hasan Zafir Tuhin, Chairman of the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA). BAU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. A.K. Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan attended the event as the chief patron, while Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), Dr. Shariful Haque Bhuiyan, was present as the special guest. Deans of various faculties, teachers and directors of different university divisions also attended the programme.
According to the organizers, students enrolled in three degree programmes under the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology , BSc in Agricultural Engineering, BSc in Food Engineering and BSc in Bioinformatics Engineering are participating in the internship programme. A total of 147 students are taking part in the two-month-long internship.
The students will have the opportunity to undertake internships at various public and private organizations, including the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), and several other institutions.
At the inauguration ceremony, Professor Dr. Md. Abdul Awal, Coordinator of the Internship Management Committee for the Agricultural Engineering degree programme, delivered the welcome address. Later, Professor Dr. Md. Rostom Ali of the Department of Farm Power and Machinery presented the keynote paper, providing guidelines and directions regarding the internship programme.
Participating students also shared their expectations and experiences related to the internship programme.
Addressing the students, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. A.K. Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan said, “BAU is the only university in Bangladesh that offers internship programmes for students of all faculties. I hope students will make the best use of this opportunity and create employment prospects for themselves both at home and abroad. My advice is to complete the internship successfully with discipline and professional responsibility.”
He further said, “Students should ensure that their conduct and activities during the internship uphold and enhance the reputation of the university.”
Speaking as the chief guest, BMDA Chairman Agriculturist Md. Hasan Zafir Tuhin said, “The government formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is highly agriculture-friendly. Since the tenure of the interim government, he had been planning what initiatives could be taken to advance the agricultural sector if elected to office. We held 11 meetings with him on agriculture, during which he spent nearly seven to eight hours discussing agricultural issues with us. Even before assuming office, he had planned how to modernize agriculture through science-based knowledge and updated legislation. As a result, the Agricultural Card programme was initiated within 10 to 12 days after the election.”
Emphasizing employment opportunities for students of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, he added, “As part of the Ministry of Agriculture, I will try to establish a separate cadre service for graduates of the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology. Efforts will also be made to ensure that positions which have remained vacant for a long time are filled by qualified agricultural engineering graduates.”This version follows a professional newspaper style suitable for publication in English-language media.
