Investment-output mismatch remains a hallmark of most public sector projects and programmes in Bangladesh. Technical education is one such area that despite spending billions of takas -- a substantial volume of which over the past six years alone -- has made little progress in creating technical human resources. The share of people having technical education, according to a report published in this paper a couple of days back, is highly significant -- less than 1.0 per cent of the country's educated population. The share of people receiving general education is 89.26 per cent and that of madrasa education stands at 7.19 per cent.
Over the last 11 years, the number of technical education recipients increased by a mere 0.10 per cent when the government spent Tk 555.50 billion on technical and madrasa education between FY 2017-2018 and FY2023-24. Naturally, the actual spending during the last 11 years would be more. The reasons for such a poor return from the government's spending, in terms of the share of people with technical education in the total educated population, are no secrets. Failure to assess the skill demand both at home and abroad, particularly in countries where Bangladeshi migrants work in large numbers, and designing the technical education accordingly are the two key reasons.
The curricula of technical and vocational educational institutions operating in private and public sectors are least compatible with the needs of the domestic industries and external labour markets. These institutes, numbering around 11,000, usually offer short courses, certificate courses and diplomas. These courses, in most cases, hardly fulfil the requirements of employers. That is why many industries and service sector organisations have been employing technical hands from abroad, leading to an outflow of a sizeable volume of foreign exchange every year.
It is not that the government is unaware of the shortage of skilled manpower equipped with the right kind of technical knowledge. The establishment of the National Skills Development Authority (NSDA) is a pointer to that fact. However the NSDA's achievements, as far as its mission and vision are concerned, are not known to most people. Given the situation prevailing in technical education now, any notable achievement is highly unlikely. When the NSDA came into being experts had advised it to make a need-based assessment by gathering information from the domestic industries and service institutions about their skill requirements and accordingly prepare skill development programmes.
The country needs to develop skilled human resources capable of meeting all its requirements. So, the government has already established some technical universities that have the facilities to produce high-end skilled personnel. However, they are yet to reach the standard enjoyed by the BUET (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology) and similar other institutions in the region. Efforts need to be there to raise their quality. For improving skill levels at mid and low-end categories, it is important to have one competent individual at the helm of NSDA who would work relentlessly to create a large pool of technical personnel that the country desperately needs. Besides, the NSDA should enjoy the authority and have the necessary resources to materialise its mission and vision.
No value for money spent on technical manpower
FE Team | Published: December 03, 2023 20:25:25
No value for money spent on technical manpower
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