Ms. Roufa Khanum, Assistant Director, Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), BRAC University, participated as a distinguished panelist in the progress-sharing event of the ACCESS4ALL project, funded by ERASMUS+. The initiative is jointly implemented by BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University; Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB); and University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh (ULAB) and two European partners: Maastricht University, and the Heidelberg University.
The panel discussion, titled “Amplifying the Global South in Climate Change Education in Higher Education Institutes,” aimed to reimagine climate change curricula by prioritizing Global South knowledge and fostering transformative skills development. Dr. K. A. Rabbani, Associate Professor, Independent University, Bangladesh, chaired the session. Alongside Ms. Roufa, the panelists included Dr Sabina F. Rashid, Professor, James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, and Project Director of ACCESS4ALL, and Dr Samiya Selim, Director, Center for Sustainable Development (CSD), ULAB.
Ms. Khanum highlighted the critical intersection of research and education in designing impactful curricula. She emphasized that “students gain academic knowledge through education and contextual understanding through research. Integrating research into curricula enables educators to adopt evidence-based practices, ensuring that the content reflects the unique realities of communities.”
She elaborated on how research is a robust foundation for comprehending social, economic, and environmental challenges within local contexts. Educators can effectively align academic content with community needs by embedding research findings into curricula. Additionally, Ms. Roufa shared insights into how C3ER, BRAC University, collaborates with local and international partners to influence climate change education and capacity-building initiatives. As an academic research centre, C3ER engages extensively with local communities, translating research outcomes into educational modules. Notably, a recent C3ER study on resilient infrastructure culminated in the development of a practitioner-focused module, with plans to launch a related course at BRAC University.
Ms Roufa also highlighted C3ER’s collaborative endeavors with national and international universities through peer learning, faculty exchanges, and research partnerships. She noted receiving funding to strengthen academic researchers’ capacity and foster collaborative research between universities in the United Kingdom and private universities in Bangladesh.
The event convened key stakeholders from academia and the development sector to share ACCESS4ALL’s contributions to developing climate change curricula, unveil its newly launched online platform, and explore the transformative potential of locally led climate change education initiatives in the Global South.
