Increase budgetary allocation for education sector: Speakers

The government should increase the budgetary allocation for the country's education sector to create skilled manpower, thus it can achieve its development goals, speakers said at a programme on Sunday.
They also laid emphasis on technical education, brining time-befitting changes in academic curriculum and enhancing entrepreneurial skills among youths in this regard.
They made the recommendations at a discussion programme titled '2019-20 Budget: thoughts and expectations of students,' organised by Daffodil International University (DIU) on its city campus.
Planning Minister MA Mannan was present at the function as the chief guest with DIU vice-chancellor (VC) Dr Yousuf Mahbubul Islam in the chair.
Executive Director of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr Fahmida Khatun, Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shimanto Bank Muklesur Rahman and DIU board of trustees chairman Md Sabur Khan also addressed the discussion meeting.
The DIU students' thoughts and expectations were reflected through a presentation at the beginning of the discussion meeting.
In his speech, Mr Mannan said the country has achieved significant economic growth in recent years, which has already drawn attention of renowned international agencies.
Acknowledging the prevailing wealth inequality in the country, the minister said, "Though there are inequalities in our country, we have made good progress in poverty alleviation."
The government is also focusing on measures to bridge the gap between the rich and poor, he added.
Responding to students' expectations in the upcoming national budget, Mr Mannan said the government is planning to increase tax on tobacco products this year.
"We have increased tax on tobacco in phases. We will do it this year too," he said.
Ms Fahmida explained various aspects of the budget for the students. Budget is important for all, though it doesn't impact all the people equally, she said.
"Fulfilling everyone's expectations is a major challenge for the government." Mentioning the positive growth momentum in the country, she said but the present growth is jobless.
Creating jobs, especially for the youths, is another challenge, she added.
Talking about the fourth industrial revolution, Ms Fahmida said the country needs to adopt time-befitting education system for meeting the upcoming challenges in tune with industry 4.0.
A mismatch between academy and industry requirements persists in the country, she observed.
Mr Muklesur Rahman underscored the need for young people's skills enhancement so that they can cope with new types of jobs which are being created.
He also identified improper education system as a hindrance to skills development.
Mr Sabur Khan said despite increased number of graduates in the country, many employers cannot hire suitable candidates for the jobs they are offering.
He cited an example of not getting skilled people in developing services based on technology like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).

saif.febd@gmail.com