For spending more on human development
Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Rezaul Haque
GOVERNMENT spending on technical or skill-oriented education is far from sufficient. If faster human resources development was really the objective, Bangladesh, by now, should have had in the public sector, at least 30 universities, six engineering universities, 30 engineering colleges, 30 agricultural colleges, six agricultural universities and 64 polytechnic institutes.
The expenditure from the exchequer would be fully justifiable for the objective. But what is the reality? The government finds no funds for the establishment of these vital institutions while it liberally allocates more grants to unproductive religious institutions as well as the inefficient primary, secondary and mass education schools.
Any objective study would show that with spending of more resources on specialise education to create human resources, the country would be much better off. The private and the public sector would, then, face no dearth of technical, scientific or management personnel.
The inadequacy of educational institutions for scientific, technical and vocational education has created a shortage of skilled human resources for development. First of all, an increasing number of young people, with promise, are unable to pursue higher education as well as technical and vocational education. The equilibrium of sorts in the number of admission-seekers to these institutions of the past, was broken long ago, with the demand for skilled personnel growing to feed the pace of economic development.
Not many of the private universities, that cropped up, offer standard teaching. Besides, the costs of education at the private universities are beyond the means of the students from non-affluent backgrounds though they are entitled to university education. Again, the private institutions hardly offer technical and vocational education.
Not many countries could achieve rapid development leaving technical and vocational education that creates skilled workforce, to the private sector. The private sector, guided by profit motive, only catters to the rich. The private sector institutions hardly care for talented students, lacking in financial resource. They would only be excluded.
Human resource creation cannot be left to the private sector. Even the developed countries subsidise higher, technical and vocational education to get a steady supply of skilled manpower.
This could be a model for Bangladesh. It must spend more for higher, technical and vocational education. It should make available greater education opportunities to its citizens at nominal or no charges to create skilled and trained manpower for faster economic growth.
GOVERNMENT spending on technical or skill-oriented education is far from sufficient. If faster human resources development was really the objective, Bangladesh, by now, should have had in the public sector, at least 30 universities, six engineering universities, 30 engineering colleges, 30 agricultural colleges, six agricultural universities and 64 polytechnic institutes.
The expenditure from the exchequer would be fully justifiable for the objective. But what is the reality? The government finds no funds for the establishment of these vital institutions while it liberally allocates more grants to unproductive religious institutions as well as the inefficient primary, secondary and mass education schools.
Any objective study would show that with spending of more resources on specialise education to create human resources, the country would be much better off. The private and the public sector would, then, face no dearth of technical, scientific or management personnel.
The inadequacy of educational institutions for scientific, technical and vocational education has created a shortage of skilled human resources for development. First of all, an increasing number of young people, with promise, are unable to pursue higher education as well as technical and vocational education. The equilibrium of sorts in the number of admission-seekers to these institutions of the past, was broken long ago, with the demand for skilled personnel growing to feed the pace of economic development.
Not many of the private universities, that cropped up, offer standard teaching. Besides, the costs of education at the private universities are beyond the means of the students from non-affluent backgrounds though they are entitled to university education. Again, the private institutions hardly offer technical and vocational education.
Not many countries could achieve rapid development leaving technical and vocational education that creates skilled workforce, to the private sector. The private sector, guided by profit motive, only catters to the rich. The private sector institutions hardly care for talented students, lacking in financial resource. They would only be excluded.
Human resource creation cannot be left to the private sector. Even the developed countries subsidise higher, technical and vocational education to get a steady supply of skilled manpower.
This could be a model for Bangladesh. It must spend more for higher, technical and vocational education. It should make available greater education opportunities to its citizens at nominal or no charges to create skilled and trained manpower for faster economic growth.