Govt plans modern labs, equipment for tech education
The government plans to replace outdated equipment, modernise laboratories and address longstanding teacher shortages at technical education institutions, Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon said.
He said the measures were part of a broader effort to develop skilled human resources capable of meeting the demands of domestic and global industries.
He made the remarks in response to questions from journalists at a press conference on his post-China visit at the meeting room of the Technical and Madrasa Education Division of the Ministry of Education on Monday.
“Teacher shortages in technical and general education have become acute over the last 15 years. It is taking time to complete the formalities of the administrative process for recruiting the large number of teachers required. However, alongside infrastructure development, we have prioritised filling vacant teacher posts and modernising laboratories,” Milon said.
The minister said developing technical education required more than constructing new buildings, stressing the need for an integrated system involving laboratories, curricula and teachers.
“In technical education, it is not enough to construct new buildings; we have to develop an integrated ‘ecosystem’ of laboratories, curricula and teachers,” he said.
Milon said the government would draw on China’s experience of linking educational institutions with industries to improve technical education in Bangladesh.
“During our visit to China, we saw how industry-academia collaboration can help develop modern laboratories and skilled human resources. We will modernise laboratories and upgrade technical equipment following that model,” he said.
Milon said the government wanted to turn the country’s growing population into skilled human resources capable of competing in the global labour market.
“Our population is increasing. To turn this huge population into skilled human resources in line with global demand, the Prime Minister has increased the allocation for the education sector in the budget and adopted technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as the lifeline,” he said.
The minister said improving technical education would require simultaneous development of infrastructure, teaching capacity, practical training and modern equipment.
The government is also planning to introduce a third language alongside technical education to help students meet the demands of the global labour market as well as domestic and foreign industries.
The proposed languages include Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Arabic, depending on the requirements of students and industries.
The initiative is intended to add language skills to technical training and improve students’ ability to pursue employment opportunities in international markets.
Education and Primary and Mass Education Adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Mahdi Amin and Secretary of the Technical and Madrasa Education Division Md Daud Mia, among others, attended the press conference.
