IQAC Director Delivers Address at DU Students’ Research Conference 2026
Prof. Jude William Genilo was a guest of honor at the DU Students Research Conference 2026 on 29 January 2026.
The Director of the Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Professor Jude William R. Genilo, PhD, delivered a speech as Guest of Honor at the DU Students Research Conference 2026 on 29 January 2026 at the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban Auditorium of the University of Dhaka. The conference was organized by the Institutional Quality Assurance Cell, University of Dhaka.
In his address, Dr. Genilo emphasized that quality assurance in higher education should not be reduced to a bureaucratic or compliance-driven exercise. Rather, he described it as a value-based commitment to meaningful learning, ethical research, and critical inquiry. Drawing on recent research on quality assurance practices in Bangladesh, he underscored the need to move beyond imported models and documentation-heavy approaches toward a more contextual, reflective, and student-centered understanding of quality—one that is responsive to local realities and social responsibilities.
At the heart of his message was the recognition of students as active knowledge producers rather than passive recipients of information. He highlighted that through research engagement, critical questioning, and connecting scholarship to real-world challenges, students play a transformative role in shaping the future of higher education in Bangladesh. Student research, he argued, is both an intellectual and ethical endeavor that builds public trust, strengthens critical thinking, and contributes to a more inclusive, responsible, and socially relevant university system.
The DU Students Research Conference 2026 aimed to promote a vibrant research culture among students by providing a platform to present research findings, exchange innovative ideas, and participate in interdisciplinary academic dialogue. The initiative marks an important step in fostering student engagement in research and advancing academic excellence at the university level.