On Wednesday 19 February, Kingston College was delighted to welcome Mr Habibur Rahman from The People’s University of Bangladesh to exchange insights into human rights protection practice, social capital and mental health, and sociology of gender and development. Mr Rahman, who is Associate Professor & Chairman, Department of Sociology & Social Work at The People’s University of Bangladesh, met with Early Years Lecturer - Social Work Specialism, Sum Kung.
Mr Rahman said it was a memorable visit: “I am looking forward to future collaborations to drive impactful change in social work and elderly care. During my visit I had a valuable discussion with Mr Kung on crucial topics in social work and elderly care including global approaches to aging populations, community engagement and strengthening social workers' roles in building inclusive communities, enhancing social work education through knowledge exchange, and comparing the challenges and pathways both in Hong Kong and the UK.”
Sum Kung commented: “I was very pleased to welcome Mr Rahman, whom I have known for many years, for an International Scholarly Visit where we discussed the current context of sociology and social work education. I was keen to discuss our HNC Social & Community Work and the employment opportunities students on this course have on completion such as rehabilitation and support, community development and family support, to name just a few.
“Mr Rahman was very interested to learn about our brand new state-of-the-art Health & Social Care Facility which boasts a 12-bed mock hospital ward, a home care setting and a virtual reality (VR) Metaverse suite. During the visit we were able to share, contrast and compare the development of the higher education curriculum in social work and sociology both in the UK and Bangladesh.
“Mr Rahman is a member of my international social work network. My article “Two Tales of Social Work on Sustainable Social Development” was published in the journal edited by Mr Rahman in July 2024. I have also been invited as a guest speaker several times at the Global Social Work Conference chaired by Mr Rahman, the most recent one took place in November 2024 where I presented “Sense of Future and Financial Timescapes: Youth Policy and Youth Development”.
