Cheating centers!

Mahabub Alam :
Although the manpower skill development training centers in the country are aimed at imparting training to our huge unskilled labours, the owners of the centres are virtually sucking money from the innocent youths in the name of training.
The training centres, mainly located in Savar and Gazipur, are supposed to build skilled manpower keeping in mind the present trend of globalization and the cross border movement of labours, particularly to the developed countries.
They provide practical training for about 25 items, including metal formwork, steel fixture, steel, rein forcemeat, title fitting and plastering, brick laying, pipe fitting, structural steel fitting works, house electric works and A/C Duet fabrication works.
The country earns nearly US$14 billion per year as remittance sent by the expatriate Bangladesh. Currently, it exports manpower to Singapore, the Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the South Korea, Japan, Australia, EU Countries, Canada and the USA.
At the time of admission in the centre, one training receiver has to pay Tk 50,000-60,000 as fee, with Tk 3,000 as meal and accommodation cost every month. The trainees are assured of skilled labours within three months and asked to appear the final test at 500 marks (100 MCQ and 400 practical) after completion of the training period. If they pass, they will be provided with certificates and sent abroad with additional Tk 3 to 4 lakh for 18 years.
But the reality is quite different. A trainee is not allowed to sit in the test before six to nine months, though they were supposed to sit it after three months, it was alleged. It was further alleged that most of the trainees are shown failed in the examinations. After the first time fail, they are given another chance in exchange for additional Tk 20,000 each.
About 80 to 90 percent trainees are shown failed in the second time. Then they are released without paying anything.
On other hand, those who are shown pass have to pay Tk 7.5 to 10 lakh for going aboard, particularly Singapore.
If any trainee does not want to go to the training centre from where he passed and obtain his/her certificate, he/she must pay Tk 4 lakh to get back his passport, submitted before the test.
Not only that the accommodation and meal are also substandard. Besides, they are also treated cruelly. On condition of anonymity, some 10 trainees of Gazipur Technical Training Centre, a sister concern of Delco, told The New Nation that they first paid Tk 50,000 each. They were given chance to sit for the final test after nine months since their enrolment. They all were shown failed in the first test. Later, they appear at the examination for the second time by paying extra Tk 20,000 each.
But that time, 18 out of 20 were expelled showing causes of violation of rules and regulations. We suffered Tk 100,000 each. It is regularly occurring in the training centre, they alleged.
When contacted, Shakhawat, a tester (exam controller) of the training center, without giving any reply suggested to contact in the training centre. Similar allegations were also raised against The YMCA Training Centre, Nova Singapore Skill Training Centre, Reaz Overseas Technical Training Centre, South Port Overseas Ltd, which has 5,200 trainees, BFEW, World Tech, Progressive, BTCL, Unit in Gazipur and Savar.