Establishment and Location

Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD), Comilla is located at Kotbari, a rural area along the Mainamati-Lalmai (one of the archeological sites of Bangladesh) hill range in Comilla district at a distance of about 100 kilometers from the capital city of Dhaka. The sprawling campus covers an area of 156 acres of land including undulating hilly terrain and valleys. A large part of the campus is orchards, vegetable farms, nurseries, parks and roads lined with shady tropical trees. The office and the residential buildings have been designed and located in harmony with the topography and surrounding landscape. The well-planned layout of the institution and green landscape give the campus a serene and idyllic beauty.

The Profile

The Academy was established in 1959 basically as a training institute to train government officials and representatives of the local government and village organizations in various subjects relating to rural development. It is an autonomous institution governed by a Board of Governors of which the Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives is the Chairperson. Administratively, it is attached to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. The Board of Governors formulates policies and the Director General of BARD as the Chief Executive implements the policies and conducts the day-to-day affairs within the framework of the ordinance and Service Rules of the Academy. The activities of the Academy carry out by its Faculty working in 9 Divisions each of which is headed by a Director. The Divisions are divided into two broad categories : Service Divisions and Academic Divisions. The Service Divisions include Training; Research; Project; and Administration. The Academic Divisions are Rural Administration and Local Government; Rural Economics and Management; Rural Education and Social Development; Rural Sociology and Demography; and Agriculture and Environment. The strength of the faculty is 60 including the Director General, Additional Director General, 9 Directors, 14 Joint Directors, 13 Deputy Directors and 22 Assistant Directors. 305 supporting officials and staff assist them.

The Academy is famous for its evolved model “Comilla Approach to Rural Development” in home and abroad; and received National Award in 1986 for its remarkable contribution in Rural Development.

The Laboratory Area