Background

The Northbengal Institute of Development Studies (NIDS) has been established in Rangpur on 01 April 2012 for development research, capacity building and academic excellence of the youth. Northwest Bangladesh including Rangpur Division (15 million people with annual growth rate 1.8%) continues to be one of the country's most neglected and under-developed regions characterized by frequent river erosion, flood and drought, social inequalities in education and health, and out-migration affecting the livelihoods of its poor inhabitants. Because of the characteristic vulnerabilities and slow socio-economic development, Rangpur division requires a special effort for issue based action research and advocacy, and a better scope of specialized diploma, degree and certificate courses for the youth as well as expansion of tertiary level education. This will open/increase scope of higher education for almost 100,000 students. Most of these students discontinue education as 5% of them are accommodated by two public Universities of this area namely Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur and Haji Danesh University of Science and Technology, Dinajpur. Although the Government of Bangladesh is trying hard to cope with this situation, a huge incremental demand of applicants from 12,000 in 2008 to about 76,000 in 2013 in Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur deserves establishment of an institute like NIDS having facilities for tertiary education.