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Feature

SESM a breeding ground for
green leaders

Md. Touhidul Imran Chowdhury

ONCE 'Globalisation' was appreciated and seen as an opportunity to create equity between developed and developing nations. But the global financial recession has hindered this idealism and woken up world leaders to rethink about the fair distribution of resources, particularly natural resources. Moreover, unplanned industrialism, which emerged in the Europe and America in the mid 1900s, has degraded the environment drastically and put the entire world in a catastrophic situation. If we look at the newspapers, television or even internet, we can see an unwanted cycle of environmental problems creating by the developed countries. The environmental organisations are charging them with conspiracy for global warming. And thus, the third world countries are seeking compensation from the first world countries. It has already been predicted by IPCC that, Bangladesh will be the worst affected country for climate change and its multiple impacts including the sea level rise. In many ways we can make a difference in this obscurity; but change can only be sustained when it reaches the policy level and the new generation is contributing in that process. It is obvious that today's young generation is to be in charge of the future for a developing country like Bangladesh as well as the world. Their knowledge on environment and participation in activities to balance the environment is essential. The young generation can gain success in the future only if they are well-trained to deal with the new environmental challenges. In concern to this, SESM of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB is providing environmental education about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their own acts and the ecosystems in order to live sustainable. It offers three Bachelor of Science Honours degree (Undergraduate Programs) with concentrations in Environmental Management, Land and Water, and Population Environment. The Masters (Graduate) programs on Environmental Management, Natural Resource and Disaster Management (proposed to UGC) and Public Health are designed to provide specialized knowledge in respective fields through conceptual and practical research orientations. An important fact about these fields of study is that these educational programs are modelled after similar programs in the top US and UK universities.

SESM provides a unique program in Bangladesh called “Live-in-Field Experience” (LFE). It is a two weeks course where students learn the urban and rural differences through an intensive field work and research in different villages of Bangladesh. This school has a collaborative program with Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA), USA. Through this exchange program, a number of US students are led to study rural life in villages by renowned environmentalist Prof. Haroun Er Rashid (Director of SESM). This “Development and Community” program won the prestigious “2006 Andrew Heiskell Awards” for Innovation in International Education. SESM has also established a “Flood Hazard Research Center” in collaboration with Middlesex University, UK. The “International Center for Climate Change” also launched in IUB for extensive research and development on the global climate change issues. Every year, SESM welcomes a number of foreign students, faculties and researchers from Harvard University, University of Vermont, Southern Illinois University, University of Nevada, Pokhara University, Middlesex University and many more.