City Desk :
SAJIDA Foundation (SF) organised a roundtable discussion calling for collective action to bridge the education-to-employment divide to ensure more productive workforce, higher economic growth, and improved individual well-being.
The title of the high-level roundtable discussion was “From Classrooms to Careers: Strengthening Bangladesh’s Future” held at a hotel in the capital on Wednesday, says a press release.
While presiding over the discussion, SAJIDA Foundation Chairperson Farooq Sobhan, also a former diplomat, said Bangladesh has lagged behind many countries, whose economy was once weaker than Bangladesh’s, only because of low quality of education.
He said, “Bangladesh was once ahead of four Asian countries – China, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam – but they all have surpassed us. The main reason [behind their progress] is education. It was quality education and education for all.”
“We can do it in Bangladesh. But there are many challenges that we need to overcome. We need to take a holistic approach for enhancing the quality of education,” he added calling all stakeholders to work together for quality education.
The roundtable brought together government policymakers, business leaders, academics, and development partners to discuss how Bangladesh can better align education with the needs of a rapidly changing economy.
In her opening remarks, Ms. ZahidaFizzaKabir, CEO of SAJIDA Foundation, highlighted that Bangladesh stands at a critical crossroads with one of the world’s youngest populations.
“Our youth are our greatest asset, only if we equip them with the skills and mindsets needed for the future. If education does not keep pace with today’s realities, our demographic dividend could easily turn into a demographic burden,” she said.
Sal Khan, Founder of Khan Academy, spoke at the event virtually. He emphasised the transformative power of technology in democratising education. “When students are given access to high-quality learning tools and teachers are empowered to personalise instruction, transformation happens at scale. Bangladesh has the potential to lead this change by combining innovation, inclusivity, and the dedication of its educators,” he said.
He commended the early success of Khan Academy Bangladesh, calling it “an inspiring example of how local partnerships and global collaboration can reimagine education systems for the future.”
The progress of a pilot project run by Khan Academy Bangladesh was presented at the roundtable, which shows that across 31 pilot schools and 5,342 students, learners on average demonstrated a ninefold increase in learning mastery and a sixfold rise in engagement.
While presenting the progress AzwaNayeem, CEO of Khan Academy Bangladesh and Strategy Lead for Education at SAJIDA Foundation, said teachers at the schools are now using data and digital tools to tailor instruction to each student’s needs. “The results show that transformation is not only possible, it is happening when teachers are empowered and supported with the right tools,” she added.
Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) Executive Director and former caretaker government Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury, Bank Asia Managing Director Sohail RK Hussain, Green Delta Insurance Managing Director Farzanah Chowdhury, Prime Bank PLC Deputy Manging Director Nazeem Chowdhury, IDLC Finance PLC Additional Managing Director Asif Sad Bin Shams, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC Chief Executive Officer MajithMeewanage, Delegation to the European Union to Bangladesh Programme Manager Nadia Rashid, Khan Academy Manager (International Strategy & Operations) Emily Goldman, Kazi Farms Director Zahin Hasan, Nestle Human Resources Director Hosne Ara Loma, government’s LAISE Program Project Director Prof Shipon Kumar Das, AgamiEduTech Programme Director Dilruba Chowdhury, American Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chowdhury Mohammad Riyadh, and SAJIDA Foundation Adviser ShehzadMunim and Deputy CEO MdFazlulHoaque, among others spoke at the event.
Participants shared insights on how the private and public sector could collaborate to make education more relevant to the 21st-century workforce. They emphasised the need for digital readiness, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills, alongside strong foundational learning in mathematics, science, and language.
They were of the opinion that the time is now for Bangladesh to reimagine its education system to ensure that every young person leaves school not only with knowledge, but with the skills, creativity, and confidence to build meaningful careers and contribute to national growth.
