Bangladesh School of Internet Governance (bdSIG) arranged the school of IG program on 23, 24 & 25 May 2023 in physical (Face to Face) format at Daffodil International University (DIU) in Dhaka’s Savar & YWCA Training Centre, 3/23, Iqbal Road, Mohammadpur, Dhaka 1207, organized by Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF). Any individual person from Bangladesh who were interested in the internet & IG-related issues (Ex: Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Cyber Security, BlockChain, etc.) can attend the school by submitting the application form for the fellowship.
The seventh edition of the fellowship programme of Bangladesh School of Internet Governance(bdSIG) 2023 brought together 61 fellows – youth and professionals from the private sector, government, academia, civil society, and media – to help them shape the future of the internet by bridging the gap between technology and policy which was held from 23-25 february 2023.
The bdSIG, a community development initiative of the Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF), began at the Daffodil International University (DIU) in Dhaka’s Savar on Thursday with sessions on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, the internet of things, big data, AR, and VR.
DIU lecturers Arid Hasan conducted the session “Artificial Intelligence in Natural Language Processing,” Musabbir Hasan “Data Science,” and Assistant Professor Apurba Ghosh ran the session “Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Technology.”
DIU Vice-Chancellor Professor M Lutfar Rahman, AHM Bazlur Rahman, CEO of BNNRC, founder of the BIGF, and Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu, founder and secretary general of the BIGF, spoke at the final session of the day.
On Friday, at the YWCA Guest House and Training Center in Mohammadpur, Bazlur, also CEO of the Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Community, gave the fellows presentations about key internet issues, including the internet ecosystem; political, legal, economic, sociocultural, and technical dimensions of internet governance as well the local point of intersection of internet governance and Sustainable Development Goals.
He also had interactive conversations about the key actors in internet governance, digital infrastructure and adoption, digital rights, human rights, digital economy, digital divide, and geopolitical positioning.
Rezaul Islam, quality assurance manager of the BGD-eGOV CIRT, talked about cybersecurity and Bangladesh’s preparedness.
Mamunur Rashid, consultant at the Enhancement of Bangla Language, conducted the session “Bangla Language in the Digital World.”
Also, Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu discussed the activities of the BIGF and its communities, including the Bangladesh Women IGF, Bangladesh Youth IGF, and Bangladesh Kid’s IGF. He highlighted the aims and purposes of the bdSIG and briefed the participants about the school’s sessions from 2017 to 2023.
“No matter what age you are and whatever stage you are at in your career, we have a programme for you. At the bdSIG, we want to listen to everyone and encourage them to learn with us as well as spread the knowledge,” Anu said. “Over the years, the bdSIG and BIGF have become platforms where we share knowledge and ideas, team up, and strengthen bonds.”
Nazmul Hasan Majumder, vice-chair of the bdSIG, discussed the activities of the school in the last seven years in creating a digital talent pool of 602 fellows through networking, mentoring, and collaboration.
“The bdSIG fellows are picked through a multi-step evaluation process. The selection committee tries to achieve professional, geographical, age, and gender diversity in the selection.”
“We follow a multi-stakeholder approach as we want our fellows – whether they are working in technology, academia, civil society, business or government – to understand how to partner with other stakeholders to advocate for internet-related key issues.”
Ashrafur Rahman Piaus, secretary general of the bdSIG, discussed international fellowship opportunities and challenges for the participants to equip them with the knowledge they need to join a global community of like-minded people after the programme.
Faisal Ahmed Bhubon, secretary general of the Bangladesh Youth IGF, discussed the activities of his platform in the last two years.
The programme ended on Saturday with an understanding of Smart Bangladesh, freelancing and monetisation, the digital economy in Bangladesh, the Digital Security Act, the proposed Data Protection Act, the Global Digital Compact, and the fellows describing their learnings from the programme and plans for taking the multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder knowledge beyond the fellowship.
H.E. Mr. Hasanul Haq Inu, MP, chair of the parliamentary standing committee on the information and broadcasting ministry and chair of the BIGF, was present at the closing session.
61 bdSIG 2023 Fellows At a Glance
Bangladesh School of Internet Governance – bdSIG Fellowship Committee selected 61 applicants as fellows for the 7th bdSIG 2023 program for the directly physical (Face to Face) format. The following individuals had been selected, and got the fellowship for attending the Three days school from 23 February to 25 February, 2023.
Sl No. | Participant Full Name | Gender | Country | Stakeholder Group |
01 | Naimul Haq | Male | Bangladesh | Government |
02 | Md. Al-Amin | Male | Bangladesh | Academia |
03 | Md Naeem Shikdar | Male | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
04 | Md. Shakhawat Hossain | Male | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
05 | S. M. Naymul Alam Azad | Male | Bangladesh | Technical Community |
06 | Md. Rajib Hasan | Male | Bangladesh | Technical Community |
07 | S M Nahid Sarwar Sumon | Male | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
08 | Md Asadullah Al Galib | Male | Bangladesh | Technical Community |
09 | SHAON DAS | Male | Bangladesh | Government |
10 | Md. Ataul Islam | Male | Bangladesh | Government;Intergovernmental Organizations |
11 | Samiha Sofrana Azim | Female | Bangladesh | Technical Community |
12 | Tasin Sadak | Female | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
13 | Sayeeda Zaman | Female | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
14 | Irin Akter Shuchana | Female | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
15 | Abu Sayed Malik Md Monsur-ul-Hakim | Male | Bangladesh | Technical Community |
16 | Aminul Islam | Male | Bangladesh | Academia |
17 | Shonim Shaheen | Male | Bangladesh | Academia |
18 | Sammi Akter Juthi | Female | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
19 | MOHAMMAD AWLAD HOSSAIN KHAN | Male | Bangladesh | Media |
20 | Nusrat Jahan Esha | Female | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
21 | Iftear Hasan Tanvir | Male | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
22 | Shankar Kumar Mondol | Male | Bangladesh | Academia |
23 | Md. Jahangir Alam | Male | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
24 | Nusrat Chowdhury Chowa | Female | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
25 | Mahfuza Akhter | Female | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
26 | Md Ashraful Islam | Male | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
27 | Md.Hasib Chowdhury | Male | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
28 | MD ANISUR RAHMAN | Male | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
29 | Tajfia Islam Tiba | Female | Bangladesh | Civil Society |
30 | Muhammad Al-Amin | Male | Bangladesh | Press / Media |
31 | Tasmi Chowdhury | Female | Bangladesh | Press / Media |
32 | Sheikh Khayeruzzaman | Male | Bangladesh | Government |
33 | Tasnia Tanjim Chaity | Female | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
34 | Nusrat Tasnufa Chowdhury | Female | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
35 | Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman | Male | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
36 | Md Nafiur Rahman | Male | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
37 | S. M. Tanvir Rahman Likhon | Male | Bangladesh | Technical Community |
38 | JAVED NIAJ MOHSIN | Male | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
39 | Abu Raihan | Male | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
40 | Muhammed Emran | Male | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
41 | Md. Hasibur Rahman | Male | Bangladesh | Academia |
42 | Tanzila Akter | Female | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
43 | Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu | Male | Bangladesh | Civil Society |
44 | AHM Bazlur Rahman | Male | Bangladesh | Civil Society |
45 | Iqbal Ahmed | Male | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
46 | Hiren Pandit | Male | Bangladesh | Civil Society |
47 | Khundkar Hasan Shahriyar | Male | Bangladesh | Civil Society |
48 | Nazmul Hasan Majumder | Male | Bangladesh | Technical Community |
49 | Ashrafur Rahman Piaus | Male | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
50 | Riad Hasan Badsha | Male | Bangladesh | Technical Community |
51 | Faisal Ahmed Bhubon | Male | Bangladesh | Technical Community |
52 | Ayesha Siddika | Female | Bangladesh | Technical Community |
53 | Md Moniruzzaman Munna | Male | Bangladesh | Technical Community |
54 | Nymun Nahar Islam | Female | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
55 | Mst. Boishakhy Khatun | Female | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
56 | Md. Ashikur Rahman Shunno | Male | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
57 | AHM Sakkhar Rahman | Male | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
58 | Mohammad Nijam Uddin Chowdhury | Male | Bangladesh | Private Sector |
59 | Uchsas Khan | Male | Bangladesh | Youth / Students |
60 | Babita Basnet | Female | Nepal | Civil Society;Press / Media |
61 | Kalpana Acharya | Female | Nepal | Press / Media |