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PAVING THE PATH FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS IN BANGLADESH
Dr. James Abdey, Associate Academic Director for the LSE-UoL programmes, speaks about the recently launched CHESS (Certification of Higher Education in the Social Sciences) Programme’s functionality and features, opportunities for the students under the National Curriculum, and the future prospects of completing the programme.
Could you please tell us about the new partnership for the CHESS program between Universal College Bangladesh (UCB) and the London School of Economics (LSE-UoL)?
James Abbey: CHESS offers a pathway for students to enroll in a University of London degree. CHESS is effectively year one of the undergraduate degree program, and we are all about maximising access and opportunities for students to ultimately take a University of London degree.
Students who do not immediately meet the degree level entry criteria can enroll on CHESS, complete the first year of a degree program, and provided they do sufficiently well in the examinations, their registration status then changes into a full degree student.
Could you elaborate on the key features and unique aspects of the CHESS curriculum that make it an appealing alternative for students seeking global education?
JA: The CHESS program courses are undergraduate-level courses. They form part of the main bachelor’s degrees, and all of these modules and individual courses are designed by LSE academics. As an academic, I wrote the course materials for the statistics courses on CHESS. And while doing so, I’ve ensured alignment with the sort of equivalent modules which I teach on campus at LSE.
LSE is a world-renowned research-led teaching institution. The quality of our graduates is held in very high regard by major corporations around the world. Here at UCB, students will have the same opportunity at a much lower cost.
How does the new CHESS program differ from other educational options for students in Bangladesh, particularly for students under the National Curriculum/HSC?
JA : UCB will be conducting its own admissions process of interviewing students to take admission tests and aptitude tests. I’d again mention the admission statement of the University of London’s international programs about maximising access. We run these programs not just in Bangladesh, but around the world. Education and school systems largely vary, but we don’t want to exclude anybody. And so, the CHESS program is appropriate for students who cannot immediately meet the full degree-level entry criteria.
How can the relationship between UCB and LSE contribute to the greater objectives of international education and cross-cultural understanding?
JA: What the students will be learning here will be designed in London by LSE faculty, who themselves come from all parts of the world. Therefore, students here will be exposed to different ways of thinking. We are going to be using the tutorial voice of the academic, who’s written the learning materials. Also, if UCB students wish to, there are opportunities to actually travel overseas to London, and pursue, for example, a summer school program with us. They can directly interact with their peers from around the world. Even if they don’t come to LSE summer school, they will remain a part of the global community. We have over 10 thousand students pursuing various LSE programs around the world. There is always a great opportunity for students to expand their networks beyond Bangladesh.