Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced to make the education system work-oriented and technology-based to address the rising educated unemployment in Bangladesh.
He said that not only certificate-based education, but also the lack of skills and practical knowledge is one of the reasons for the increase in the number of educated unemployed in the country.
He said these things at a workshop titled “Transforming Higher Education in Bangladesh: A Roadmap to Sustainable Excellence” organized by the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh on Tuesday. The workshop held at the Nawab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building of the University of Dhaka in the capital was attended by educationists, policymakers and university representatives.
The Prime Minister said that in today’s world, academic degrees alone are not enough. To survive in the global labor market, students need to acquire technical skills, innovative abilities and practical knowledge. Considering that reality, the government has taken the initiative to restructure the education curriculum from primary to higher education.
In his words, “Unemployment cannot be eliminated without work-oriented education with moral values. It is also difficult to survive in global competition without a timely education system.”
He also said that the government is taking initiatives to increase apprenticeships, internships and university partnerships with industry to bridge the long-standing gap between higher education and employment. He also mentioned the plan to create direct links between universities and local industries and businesses.
The Prime Minister also talked about introducing seed funding and innovation grants to develop students as entrepreneurs. According to him, it is necessary to prepare youth from the universities themselves as job creators instead of job seekers.
He also emphasized on adapting the education system to the new reality in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. Stating that technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, genetic engineering, quantum computing and big data are changing the nature of conventional jobs, he said that students need to be prepared with new skills from now on to survive in the future labor market.
Citing examples of the rise of technology-based companies worldwide, he mentioned Uber, Facebook, Alibaba Group and Airbnb. He said that the main strength of these companies was innovative ideas and technology-based platforms.
The Prime Minister further said that the youth of Bangladesh also have that potential. If they get the right environment and support, they will also be able to build world-class initiatives.
At one point in his speech, he also highlighted the political context of the country. Stating that a democratic government system has been established in the country through a long movement and sacrifice, he said that the current government wants to build a “knowledge and merit-based safe Bangladesh”, where competence and creativity will be the main basis of progress.
However, along with technological progress, the Prime Minister also emphasized on protecting social and moral values. He said that even as the country moves towards modernization, teachers, intellectuals, journalists and civil society must be vigilant so that the religious, social and cultural foundations of the country are not damaged.