Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed the Ministry of Education to take steps to establish a specialized University of Blue Economy Sciences and Technology (UBEST) in Cox’s Bazar.

He issued the directive recently after reviewing a demi-official letter sent by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed.

In the letter, dated September 13, the Home Minister said Bangladesh lacks specialized higher education, research facilities and skilled human resources needed to tap the vast potential of marine resources in the Bay of Bengal and coastal areas. Establishing a specialized university in Cox’s Bazar is therefore highly important in the national interest, he said.

The letter noted that building a new university from scratch would require considerable time and resources. It therefore proposed using the existing infrastructure, laboratories and scientific personnel of the Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute (BORI) in Cox’s Bazar to begin academic activities quickly.

Using BORI’s existing facilities, the university could initially launch teaching and research programs in oceanography, fisheries and aquaculture, marine environment, coastal resource management, blue economy, marine data, tourism and hospitality, according to the proposal.

The proposed university is expected to create new opportunities for marine resource management, research and the development of skilled human resources in Bangladesh.