Bangladesh must prioritise quality technical education to advance its development, which is crucial for the nation's growth, noted economist Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said on Saturday.
He also advocated for not only modernising technical education but also forming a partnership reform committee with the government to support this goal.
Dr Debapriya, distinguished fellow of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and also chair of the white paper drafting committee, made the view at a national conference held at the Krishibid Institution in the capital.
The conference titled "Role of Local Technical and Vocational Education Institutions in Creating Youth Employment" was organised by the Citizen Platform for SDG Implementation and the Eco-Social Development Organisation (ESDO).
In his speech, Dr Debapriya emphasised the government's focus on reform and urged it to swiftly create a partnership reform committee to design an effective and transformative action plan.
He hoped that the government would allocate fund and provide necessary guidelines for this initiative in the 2025-26 budget.
Addressing the event, CPD Distinguished Fellow Mustafizur Rahman highlighted that Bangladesh's post-LDC transition competitiveness which would rely heavily on aligning students' training with market demands.
He also highlighted that establishing new institutions would not resolve the issues in technical education.
With 80 per cent of teaching positions in the existing technical institutes unfilled, it is ineffective to create additional institutes when only 18-20 per cent of required teaching staff members are in place, Dr Rahman pointed out.
Speaking on the occasion, Md Ruhul Amin, secretary of the Expatriate Welfare and Foreign Employment Ministry, noted that when migration costs have risen due to middlemen, new policies are being drafted to bring these intermediaries under legal regulations.
A platform set to launch in December would provide comprehensive data on employer requirements and prospective migrant workers, he said.
Mr Amin remarked that employment is a critical issue that requires collective interest and commitment.
Many training programmes lack student enrollment, which he attributed to a lack of urgency.
He noted that rapid technological changes make it challenging to update curricula accordingly, underscoring the importance of fostering enthusiasm among both trainers and trainees.
CPD Senior Researcher Taufiqul Islam Khan presented the report "Role of Local Technical and Vocational Educational Institutions in Youth Employment Generation".
The research gathered insights from 600 current and former students, 60 instructors, 240 parents, 75 government officials and experts and 75 employers from technical education and training programmes.
According to the report, while 67 per cent of technical education institutions have satisfactory infrastructure, only 13 per cent of current and former students expressed satisfaction with their education.
Additionally, 63 per cent of former students earn below Tk 10,000 monthly. Challenges noted include a lack of materials and equipment in institutions, insufficient lab facilities, and an absence of polytechnic institutes in Panchagarh and Sunamganj, limiting access to long-term education for students in those areas.
The report also highlighted that many students are registered in multiple institutions to receive allowances due to the absence of a student database.
Furthermore, the proportion of female students in secondary-level technical education is decreasing annually, with students reporting societal stigma against them.
The report recommends several actions, including raising the budget implementation rate for education, boosting incentives for female participation in technical fields, increasing awareness of training opportunities and expanding demand-driven training programmes.
According to the survey, 27 per cent of students reported not receiving the type of technical training they desired, indicating a need for reforms in the government's teacher recruitment process.
While 59 per cent of students rated the quality of technical education positively, many noted a shortage of qualified teachers and a lack of technology-based education.
The results showed that 23 per cent of educational institutions lack multimedia facilities and only 30 per cent have internet connectivity. Accessibility for disabled students is limited, with no ramp facilities available.
Female enrollment at the secondary level has not reached desired targets, while 44 per cent of students are failing at the higher secondary level. Awareness about technical education often spreads by word of mouth rather than the targeted social media campaigns, which are more popular among youths.
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