Educationists and officials laid emphasis on intensifying efforts to expand skilled enhancement programmes to develop competent workforce in the country.
As part of the skilled enhancement programme, the government has extended Skills and Training Enhancement Project (STEP) till 2019 to create efficient manpower to foster economic development, an official told media.
The government has set a target of 30 percent enrolment in technical education by 2030 aiming to transform Bangladesh into an economically developed country, he added.
“The STEP project is being implemented at a cost of Taka 1,782 crore to promote technical education to keep up with the rapidly changing education system of the world, director of STEP project AB Azad said.
There is no alternative to developing skilled human resources, he said, adding the government has attached priority to expansion of technical and vocational education through taking skill-based programme.
He said the government has set a target of 20 percent enrolment in technical education by 2021 aiming to transform Bangladesh into an economically developed country. In 2009, there was only one percent student enrolment in the technical education while the current enrolment is 14 percent, he added.
Chairman of National polytechnic institute Enginner Md Shamshur Rahman said expansion of technical education would significantly help achieve the targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)s. He urged the government to put an emphasis on technical and vocational education for keeping up the demand of job markets.
According to the officials and educationists, the enrolment rate at technical and vocational is almost 60 percent in the most developed countries. Bangladesh should increase enrolment of technical education to accelerate its economic progress, they added.
The government has taken an initiative to set up 100 technical schools and colleges in the country to supplement the ongoing efforts of promoting technical education.
“These 100 schools and colleges will be established as part of the government’s plan for setting up 389 more technical schools and colleges across the country in phases,” Secretary of Technical and Madrasa Education
Division Md Alamgir told the news agency recently.
He said the government would also establish polytechnic institutions in 23 districts for both male and female students while all the eight divisional headquarters would have separate polytechnic institutions for women.
