By Mizan Rahman
Dhaka

Russia will train nearly 1,600 Bangladeshi students at one of its nuclear power and engineering universities to create a pool of experts for the Rooppur nuclear power plant.
The first-phase of 2,400 megawatt power plant is expected to start power generation in 2021, a Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) official said.
The students will be sent in two phases to MEPHI University in Moscow, Shawkat Akbar, managing director, Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh said yesterday.
The government will bear the cost of around 810mn taka ($10.38mn) for the human resource programme. The amount will be spent under the heads of living expense, airfare and education material of the students.
“The government of Russia will waive the tuition fees of the students, provide free accommodation and subsidised food. The programme will continue for three years to the 2017-2018 fiscal year,” Akbar said.
The education programme consists mainly of two categories - three-year course for students who completed their graduation in nuclear engineering from local institutions, while five-year course for those who completed their higher secondary degrees, sources at the BAEC said.
Currently, degrees on nuclear engineering and nuclear power are provided only by BUET, Dhaka University
and MIST.
“Russia is responsible for selecting the potential students from Bangladesh and their experts have selected 30 such students under the programme in recent times,” Akbar said.