Pabna, June 28 (V7N) — The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Pabna University of Science and Technology (PUST) organized its first-ever national conference titled “Towards a Sustainable Future: Economic Stability, Political Reforms, and Socio-Cultural Transformation in Bangladesh” on Saturday, June 28. The day-long event was held at Gallery-2 of the university’s Science Building.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. S. M. Abdul Awal attended the conference as Chief Guest. Also present were Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam and Treasurer Professor Dr. Md. Shamim Ahsan as Special Guests. The keynote speaker was Professor Dr. Farid Uddin Khan, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) of the University of Rajshahi. Former Vice-Chancellor of Islamic University, Professor Dr. M. Rafiqul Islam, joined as an honored guest. The session was presided over by Professor Dr. Mir Khaled Iqbal Chowdhury, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at PUST.

In his remarks, Vice-Chancellor Dr. Abdul Awal emphasized the urgent need for innovation and leadership to achieve sustainable development in Bangladesh. He stated, “For years, we have lacked sustainable progress and effective leadership. Over the past 17 to 18 years, billions of taka have been siphoned off from the country, which has undermined our economic sustainability. We need to nurture innovative ideas and realize our potential to contribute meaningfully to national development.” He further noted that although the university was founded in 2008, such national or international conferences had been rare. “This is only the second national academic conference after the first one organized by the Faculty of Business Studies. In the future, we aim to organize international conferences,” he added.

Professor Dr. M. Rafiqul Islam noted that such conferences provide significant benefits to both faculty and students, allowing them to deepen their understanding of critical national issues. “Events like this create an opportunity to assess our academic and institutional weaknesses and to formulate appropriate strategies. If such efforts are nationally recognized, they could bring long-term benefits to the country,” he remarked.

Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam expressed optimism about the future impact of the event, saying, “This conference creates new opportunities. We must generate and nurture new ideas. Events like this will serve as milestones in the fields of education and research, increasing collaboration among academic institutions and positively influencing national development.”

Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Farid Uddin Khan stressed the importance of collective efforts to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. “The world is constantly evolving, and we must respond to this change as a collective challenge. Economists, researchers, scientists, and social scientists must work together for the betterment of society. We must preserve nature, reduce corruption, eliminate poverty, and work towards sustainable development,” he said.

Students participating in the conference expressed enthusiasm, saying it provided valuable exposure to academic research and motivation for future scholarly pursuits. “We are gaining insight into how to improve the quality of our research papers. It’s inspiring and will definitely help young researchers perform better,” said one student.

The conference brought together 80 researchers from 7 universities across Bangladesh, along with invited academics, deans of various faculties, and faculty members from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The program was moderated by Nishat Tabassum, Lecturer of the Department of Public Administration, and Sabiha Afrin Bandhan, Lecturer of the Department of English.

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