BANGLADESH achieved noticeable growth in all sectors including education since its independence. But the education system of the country however is lagging behind and is not being able to provide required engineering and technical manpower. There is a distinct lack of technical education facilities in the country as a result of which students have to avail general education. By saying so I do not undermine the use or necessity of general education. What I would like to emphasise upon is that there is not enough opportunity in the country at present for students interested in technical education.
As a matter of fact, there is a clear dearth of qualified technical personnel in the country as a result of which technical positions in many organizations are being filled by foreign nationals. In a situation like this greater priority should be given to technical education. Example of post war Japan may be cited in this regard. Japan gave special emphasis on technical education in the country to provide increased technical workforce after World War II for reconstruction of the war-ravaged economy and in a period of less than two decades Japan turned around as a developed nation.
Bangladesh also has immense potential to develop as a progressive nation if its large young population is equipped with proper technical education. This will of course necessitate setting up of technical institutions up to upazila level. The shortfall in technically educated workforce would be further acute in near future if establishment of such technical institutions is further delayed. As private sector is less interested in this regard, onus lies with the government to come forward to bridge the gap. Successive governments had acknowledged the problem but did not take enough initiatives to address it. In this connection, I would like to cite the example of Sunamganj district which does not have a full-fledged technical institute and setting up of one here to impart engineering education in various disciplines is a dire necessity.
Md. Ashraf Hossain
Prince Plaza
Madhabazar, Sunagjanj.
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