It is concerning that the number of students in Diploma Engineering is decreasing due to lack of adequate job opportunities in the country. As a result, 60 percent of the seats remain vacant.
Again, many students are unemployed due to lack of adequate job opportunities. Even those who have got jobs do not get adequate facilities at work places.
However, the government, in the last few decades, has been giving importance to technical education in the country. As a result, the number of public and private polytechnic institutes has increased.
But despite this, technical education is plagued by various problems, including lack of modern curriculum, teacher shortage, and classroom and lab scarcity.
Thus, the students are also being discouraged from enrolling in technical education.
Although there is demand abroad for various technical subjects, there is no initiative from those concerned to improve the quality of education. Technical education needs to be connected to the job market.
If students can be trained to meet the needs of the international job market, then educators expect that students’ interest in diploma engineering will increase.
It is to be noted that Japan and Germany were nearly destroyed in World War II. Despite this, the two countries still maintain strong positions in the global economy today.
The main reason for Japan and Germany’s astonishing progress is technical education. Technical education rates are 73 percent in Japan and 71 percent in Germany.
Their curriculums are also modern and quality one in line with demand. Technical education is also the core of the development of the developed and advancing economies of Asia like Malaysia, Singapore, China, Vietnam, and South Korea.
But Bangladesh is still far from that position. A plan must be taken to increase this literacy rate to at least 55-60 percent in the country. The lack of the required number of laboratories for various technologies and courses is also a concern.
Meanwhile, students of the Polytechnic Institute have been agitating for a long time demanding the establishment of an independent ‘Technical and Higher Education’ Ministry, the formation of a ‘Technical Education Reform Commission’, nd establishment of technical universities to provide higher education opportunities.
To create a socially responsible and practical skilled manpower, it is necessary to formulate a modern curriculum, and take steps to resolve the shortage of materials and teachers, so that students can contribute to the industrial sector based on their skills.
It also needs to be ensured that no student has to sit unemployed after completing his education.
