Providing access to safe and affordable water supply and sanitation to all is an important public health agenda. The WASH sector actors are in constant drive to ensure that no one is left behind from these basic human rights. Significant activities and interventions are required in this regard. Fresh graduates and students, who will be embracing professional roles shortly, have little exposure in this field.
To orient the graduates on the career prospects, challenges and research areas, gaps and opportunities in the WASH sector, ITN-BUET organized a virtual event- Orientation Program on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) for Graduates during October 17-19, 2021. Graduates and passing undergraduate students from different universities actively participated in the course consisting of three different sessions. The event focused on issues like safely managed sanitation, WASH and climate change and research opportunities in the sector.
Ms. Hasin Jahan, Country Director, WaterAid Bangladesh; Dr. Md Liakath Ali, Director, Climate Change Programme, BRAC and BRAC International, and Dr. Marc Pérez Casas, Sector Leader-WASH (Bangladesh), SNV Netherlands Development Organisation were the speakers of the sessions. As conversant and eminent sector leaders, they guided the participants in identifying opportunities and research areas, finding areas to engage in and contribute to the WASH sector as professionals.
More than fifty graduates and soon-to-be graduates from renowned Universities of the country including BUET, CUET, KUET, RUET, Dhaka University participated in the event. Professor Dr. Tanvir Ahmed, Director, ITN-BUET and Mr. Alauddin Ahmed, Project Manager, ITN-BUET, appreciated their active participation, including lively discussions during the question-answer sessions. The participants made different suggestions as a follow-up of the program, such as professional training, research fellowship, internships and job fairs. Dr. Ahmed expressed his desire to organize such programs at a regular interval and hoped that such events would stimulate interest among the young generation towards working in this sector.
