Academicians on Saturday stressed increasing focus on need-based education, saying that it was important both for bringing improvement to the education sector and to attain national progress.
At a seminar attended, among others, by the vice-chancellors of different universities, the speakers also said that technical and vocational education and training, coupled with curriculum reform, could be two powerful tools in this regard.聽
Having observed that currently teacher-guardian-student relations were in a sorry state, the discussants said that a lack of mutual respect between them deeply affected the entire education sector.
Their remarks and observations came at a seminar titled 鈥楴eed-based education in Bangladesh: problems and prospects鈥� organised by non-governmental think tank Education Research Initiative at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council auditorium in the capital.
While presenting the keynote paper, the research organisation鈥檚 chairman and former state minister for education ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon said that need-based education referred to a formal and structured system to equip learners with job specific competencies through technical and vocational education and training.
The demand-driven education not only produced workers but also created problem-solvers, innovators and leaders, he said, stressing that the curriculum should be based on actual labour market needs.
Jahangirnagar University vice-chancellor Professor Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan, speaking as a special guest, said that while the country had made some progress in increasing access to education, challenges remained in quality, producing skilled workforce, ensuring equity and relevance to the job market.
Quoting a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics report, he said that the unemployment rate among the educated youths, comprising graduates and postgraduates, reached nearly 11 per cent, remarkably higher than the overall national unemployment rate of around 4 per cent.
The professor expressed his concern at the erosion of social values, indicating it as one of the main reasons behind the failure of the education sector.
He further said that deterioration of relation between students, guardian and teachers was deeply affecting the entire education sector.
Chief guest of the seminar University Grants Commission of Bangladesh chairman professor SMA Faiz said that need-based education was the demand of the present time.
Need-based education was able to transform the huge number of youths in the country to human resources, said the professor.聽
He also urged teachers to pay more attention and respect to their students to better understand them, saying that it would help close the gap between them and their students.
National University vice-chancellor professor ASM Amanullah, another special guest, said that no significant steps were taken for the development of the education sector since independence.
Saying that National University every year produced around 10 lakh bachelor degree holders, the VC observed that taking up some technical courses could enhance their employable skills.聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Curriculum reform, increasing opportunity for practical application, more budget for education sector, and international collaboration are some of the recommendations that came from the seminar.
Other special guests at the seminar were Jagannath University vice-chancellor Professor Md Rezaul Karim and Bangladesh Open University pro vice-chancellor Professor Sayeed Ferdous.
