Regional GSGS partners convene in Cox’s Bazar to accelerate sanitation education
The GSGS Faculty Meeting was held on 21 August 2026 at the Ramada by Wyndham in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, bringing together representatives from partner universities of the Global Sanitation Graduate School Regional Hub South and Southeast Asia (GSGS RH SSEA).
The meeting opened with remarks by Prof. Dr. Tanvir Ahmed, Regional Director, GSGS RH SSEA. Discussions focused on the overall progress of the GSGS programme, programme statistics, regional hub partnerships, and programme analytics, as well as the purpose and objectives of the meeting. Representatives from partner universities shared their key achievements under the GSGS programme, the current status of curriculum updates, challenges encountered in implementing GSGS activities at their respective institutions, and time-bound action plans for adopting the revised curriculum.
Representatives from nine partner institutions and one supporting partner participated in the sharing session. The partner institutions included Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Dr. Shilpy Basak), Pokhara University (Dr. Prakash Gautam), Institut Teknologi Bandung (Dr. Dyah Wulandari Putri), Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (Dr. Md. Shahjahan Ali), National University of Sciences and Technology (Dr. Sher Jamal Khan), Asian Institute of Technology (Dr. Anish Ghimire), Kathmandu University (Dr. Bikash Adhikari), Universitas Andalas (Dr. Alqadri Asri Putra), and Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Dr. Md. Arif Hossen). The International Training Network Centre of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (ITN-BUET), represented by Dr. Rowshan Mamtaz, participated as the supporting partner.
Speaking at the meeting, Prof. Dr. Tanvir Ahmed emphasized the important role of partner institutions in advancing and disseminating sanitation education across South and Southeast Asia, as well as the need to further strengthen regional capacity in sanitation education, research, and professional development. Prof. Dr. Rowshan Mamtaz, Director of ITN-BUET, also expressed her appreciation for the initiative and the continued collaboration among GSGS partner institutions.
An open discussion session provided an opportunity for participants to exchange views, identify key issues, and formulate recommendations for strengthening GSGS implementation across the region. The meeting concluded with commitments from participating institutions to adopt the updated GSGS curriculum by early 2027, increase graduate student enrolment, and promote the GSGS curriculum within their respective universities.
The meeting concluded with closing remarks from Prof. Dr. Tanvir Ahmed, followed by a dinner bringing together representatives from the participating institutions.
