Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD)

Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) is an internationally renowned autonomous body under the Department of Rural Development and Cooperatives. The Bird VAID (Village Agricultural & Industrial Development) project was launched on 27 May 1959 under the name of Pakistan Village Development Academy to train the officials involved in the implementation of the project by informing them about the plight of the neglected people in the village and their overall condition. After Liberation war, it was renamed as Bangladesh Rural Development Academy (BARD). Former ICS officer, eminent philosopher and social scientist Mr. Akhtar Hamid Khan was the founder of BARD.

Its main function is to assist in the socio-economic development of rural areas and alleviation of rural poverty through training, research and practical research in the field of rural development. Bird's main goal is to identify the socio-economic problems of rural areas, provide policy advice and develop the country's socio-economic development through human resource development.

For overall rural development, BARD has five academic departments (Rural Administration and Local Government, Rural Economy and Management, Rural Education and Social Development, Rural Socialism and Demography, Agriculture and Environment) and four Service Departments (Training, Research, Projects and Administration). The activities of the academy are governed by a 21-member board of directors.

BARD’s location at Kotbari in Sadar Dakshin Upazila, 6 km from Comilla city. The 156-acre academy has five hostels, four conference rooms, a mosque, a rich library, a health clinic, a sports complex, two cafeterias and a primary school. This autonomous organization is currently making important contribution to the development of the country through various research and experiments aimed at conducting training programs for various government and non-government individuals and for rural development.