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University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof Dr Mamun Ahmed on Sunday called for promoting tolerance, free thinking, morality and justice in higher education to help reduce social unrest, inequality and corruption.
Speaking as the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the two-day international conference titled “Philosophy for Peace”, organised by the Bangladesh Philosophical Society at the University of Dhaka, Prof Ahmed said universities must nurture ethical values, accountability and critical thinking among students.
He noted that many university graduates later assume key leadership roles in governance, the judiciary, research and the economy, making value-based education essential for building a peaceful and just society.
Prof Ahmed stressed the importance of forgiveness, dialogue and justice-based reconciliation over revenge, saying that a humane and peaceful society begins with families and educational institutions.
He said national development should be guided not only by economic growth but also by ethics, humanity and social justice.
Highlighting UGC initiatives, the chairman said training programmes and workshops on soft skills, ethics and values were being introduced as extracurricular activities at universities. He added that training modules for these programmes were already under development.
The two-day conference brought together academics and philosophers from Bangladesh and abroad, who presented research papers and exchanged views on peace, ethics and the role of philosophy in addressing contemporary global challenges.