The South Korean government will provide US$9 million in grants to Bangladesh to strengthen education and research in nursing, marking a significant milestone in the country’s healthcare education sector.
The support comes under the project titled “Education and Research Capacity Building of the National Institute of Advanced Nursing Education and Research (NIANER) in Bangladesh.”
On Sunday, the Economic Relations Division (ERD) announced that the Government of Bangladesh and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) signed the Record of Discussion (RoD) and Terms of Reference (ToR) for the project.
The signing ceremony was attended by Mirana Mahrukh, additional secretary and wing chief (Asia, JEC & F&F), ERD, representing Bangladesh, and Jihoon Kim, country director of KOICA, representing the Korean side.
The project will be implemented by the Directorate General of Nursing and Midwifery, under the Medical Education and Family Welfare Division. Its primary objective is to build a strong foundation for high-quality nursing faculty development by introducing PhD and advanced training programs at NIANER.
This marks the first-ever initiative in Bangladesh’s history to create a pathway for nurses to pursue doctoral degrees.
Established in 2010 with financial and technical support from the South Korean government, NIANER remains the country’s only higher education and research institute for nursing. The new project is expected to further expand its role as a center of excellence in nursing education, contributing to the improvement of healthcare services across Bangladesh.