President Abdul Hamid on Thursday underscored the need for taking up education programmes in line with the international job market, saying that demand and job based education is needed for turning the students into skilled human resources for ensuring sustainable development of the country.
“We have to chalk out education plans in line with the international job market and our students will have to be educated with profession based traditional and non-traditional education so that they can survive in this era of globalization through facing challenges,” the President said while speaking at the 3rd Convocation of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) here.
He said education is the main weapon to build the nation and quality education is needed not only for economic development, rather it is the only way to develop knowledge, non-communal spirit and above all to awake students with patriotism.
“Our universities must keep it in mind because we don’t need education for achieving certificate only, rather we need education to build enlightened human being and creative personality to take the nation ahead,” he added. The President said Bangladesh needs human resources with ICT knowledge to exploit its huge potentials. Despite institutional and infrastructural problems, the country has been able to maintain over 6 percent growth. It has already become lower middle income country and it will soon become middle income country, he added.
He said Bangladesh has many elements such as huge workforce, export friendly port facilities, creativity, huge internal market and favorable geological position to accelerate growth. As the 21st century is the ‘century of Asia’, Bangladesh will be able to remain as an advanced passenger in the development highway if it is able to exploit it potentials properly, he added.
Congratulating the new graduates of BUP, the President, who is also Chancellor of all the universities, asked the graduates to work for the welfare of the people as well as the country. “You are now the higher human resource of the country . . . the convocation is giving recognition to your achievement and on the other hand it is bestowing responsibilities on you and these responsibilities are towards your family, society, above all towards the country and nation,” he said.
President Hamid suggested changing the name of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) because not only the professionals but also general students are studying here.
“Many general students are studying here. So I think it is needed to change the name. The name of might be -University of Excellence, Bangladesh or the persons concerned including the army chief can choose a better name,” said President Hamid, also the chancellor of the university.
BUP, run by the armed forces, was established in 2008 as the country’s 30th public university.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haq and BUP VC Major General Sheikh Mamun Khaled also spoke on the occasion.
University Grants Commission Chairman Prof Abdul Mannan delivered convocation speech.
A total of 835 students were given degrees while 14 got gold medal for their outstanding performance.
