Bangladesh President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that the country’s education system needs to be restructured by taking into consideration its literature, traditional culture, employment opportunities and national needs.
The president made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation from the Bangladesh Private University Association (APUB) at Bangabhaban on September 10.
President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the weak education system inherited from the previous government needs to be reformed, and different education systems should be integrated to establish a unified education system.
He also said that the indiscriminate approval of low-quality educational institutions had resulted in the creation of an unskilled workforce.
The president further stressed the need to place greater emphasis on vocational and technical education. He said this would help produce a skilled workforce, increase overseas employment opportunities and generate more foreign currency for the country.
During the meeting, the APUB delegation briefed the president on the overall development of higher education in Bangladesh, the current condition of private universities, the development of skilled human resources and the contribution of private universities to the country’s economic development.
The delegation also called for the introduction of skills- and performance-based assessment systems and urged that approval of new universities be based on national needs, subject-specific demand, investment capacity and educational quality.
APUB also requested greater opportunities for qualified universities to offer PhD degrees, conduct research, obtain patents and commercialize research findings.
In addition, the delegation called for industry-linked curricula, internships and apprenticeships, foreign-language education, artificial intelligence (AI) and professional skills training to ensure that graduates acquire the skills necessary to enter the workforce.
The delegation also urged the government to reform the University Grants Commission (UGC) into a supportive and development-oriented regulatory body and to formulate an integrated national education system.
Source: Bangladesh Private University Association (APUB)
