Tech education from grade six planned to boost employability

The government is planning to make technical and vocational education compulsory from Grade Six as part of a broader effort to transform Bangladesh’s education system into a skills-based and employment-oriented model.

Prime Minister’s Education Adviser Mahdi Amin announced the plan on Monday while addressing a press conference at the Secretariat on various activities in the education sector.

Education Minister Dr. A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj, senior government officials, heads of different directorates and the National University vice chancellor attended the event.

Mahdi said the education system is being restructured to ensure that students acquire practical skills required in everyday life instead of depending solely on academic qualifications.

“We want students to advance not only through examination results and certificates but also through sports, culture, leadership, technology, and practical skills,” he said.

As part of the ongoing reforms, the government is incorporating several new areas into the curriculum, including sports education, cultural education, technical and vocational education and a new subject titled “Learning with Happiness”.

According to Mahdi, the new subject will focus on morality, values, responsibility, civic awareness, social behaviour and practical life skills to help students become responsible citizens.

He said sports would be introduced as a separate subject, while cultural studies would also be integrated into the curriculum.

The adviser added that greater emphasis would be placed on learning a third language to strengthen students’ international communication abilities in line with global trends. Opportunities for such learning will be created through an expanded chapter within the existing educational framework.

Explaining the pace of reforms, Mahdi said introducing an entirely new curriculum requires time. After taking office, the government had only three to four months to prepare and print textbooks, making it impossible to implement all planned changes immediately. However, he said the reform process would be expanded further next year.

The government is also planning a major digital learning initiative that will provide a large number of tablets to primary and secondary school students over the coming years.

“We will need approximately 1.4 million tablets. This is a major project for primary and secondary students, and plans for it have been included in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget,” he said.

Highlighting efforts to promote sports and extracurricular development, Mahdi said more than 2.2 million students participated in this year’s Primary School Gold Cup Football Tournament, describing the participation of both boys and girls as a significant achievement.

“Through the football tournament, we want to instill discipline, teamwork, leadership, and self-confidence among children. Competitions are being held from the union level up to the national level, and the national final is planned for June 20,” he said.

The adviser also announced the launch of a nationwide programme titled ‘Startup, Science Project and Innovation Idea Showcasing’ to encourage innovation and scientific thinking among students.

Under the initiative, students from secondary and higher educational institutions will be able to present innovative solutions to local and national challenges.

“Students who come up with strong innovative ideas will be provided with seed funding. We want young people to grow as entrepreneurs and contribute to the country’s development,” he said.

Mahdi said vocational education would become an integral part of mainstream education. To support this goal, the government plans to organise national skills competitions, career fairs and create direct employment opportunities for students.

“In our view, technical education should become a respected educational pathway. Arrangements will be made so that students can access employment opportunities directly from educational institutions,” he said.

The adviser further announced the ‘One Student, One Tree’ programme, under which every student will receive a sapling as part of environmental conservation efforts.

He said educational institutions nationwide would participate in the initiative under the government’s five-year programme to plant 250 million trees across the country.