Less than one per cent of the educated population in Bangladesh has obtained technical degrees, showing the country's one of the major weaknesses in its march towards a middle-income country.
According to a latest survey by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), only 0.83 per cent of the educated population in Bangladesh acquired technical education.
A total of 92.02 per cent of the literate people have taken general education in the country while 7.15 per cent religious education, the Socio-Economic and Demographic Survey 2023 showed.
Analysts say the government's effort to increase technical education is not working as reflected in the survey report, a by-product of the latest Population and Housing Census 2022 report.
The survey was conducted among 5-year and above age of population who are qualified for getting education.
According to the BBS survey method, a person who can read and write, or is currently a student in any type of institution among three categories - general, technical and religious - will be considered as his field of education.
General category refers to degree holders in Science, Arts, and Commerce.
Technical category refers to Doctor, Engineer, Agronomist, Computer, IT, Vocational or Diploma degree holders. The students who got education at madrashas or any other religious institution are referred to the religious category.
Among the technical education holders, the number of females is far behind their male counterparts. Only 22.99 per cent of the total technical education holders are female while the rest 77.01 per cent are the male in the country.
In the case of general education, the proportion of male and females are 49.71 per cent and 50.29 per cent respectively.
In religious education, some 57.10 per cent people are male while 42.90 per cent are female, the BBS data showed.
Analysts say the government has invested billions of taka over the last few years for developing the country's technical education. However, its reflection in the BBS survey report is very poor.
Due to the huge prospect of technically sound manpower at home and abroad, the government's perspective plan 2041 and the ongoing eighth five-year plan (FYP) have prioritised improving the technical and vocational education in the country.
The government has invested Tk 119.82 billion worth of funds over the last eight years from the development budget for improving technical education.
Currently, a total of 12 development projects relating to technical and vocational education under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) are being implemented. A total of Tk 348.07 billion has been allocated for executing the projects.
The government has a target to increase the technically educated population to 30 per cent of the total literate people by 2030.
It has already set up 49 polytechnic institutes while 23 new ones are going to be operational soon, said officials at the directorate of technical education.
The country has 64 technical schools and colleges. The government is working to set up at least one technical school and college at each of the upazilas across the country, they said.
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