The government of Bangladesh is planning to establish a technical college in every upazila to combat unemployment and enhance skill-based education across the country, said Dr. KM Kabirul Islam, Secretary of the Technical and Madrasah Education Division (TMED), at a seminar held in Sunamganj today.
Speaking at a seminar titled “Promotion of Admission to Technical and Vocational Education and Benefit of Training,” organized by the Bangladesh Education Board at the Hasan Raja Hall Room of the Sunamganj District Shilpakala Academy, Dr. Kabirul Islam emphasized the critical role of teachers in the success of this initiative.
“The success of this plan hinges on the sincerity and dedication of our teachers. Simply producing more A+ grades is not enough—we must focus on real skill development to fight unemployment effectively,” he said.
30% Enrolment Target by 2030
The TMED Secretary also noted that technical and madrasa education had long been neglected, calling this trend “extremely self-destructive.” He set a target of increasing technical education enrolment to 30 percent by 2030.
Dr. Kabirul Islam stressed the urgent need to expand compulsory education up to Grade 8 and highlighted a concerning mismatch between academic degrees and job readiness:
“There are around 4 million students under the National University, and 1 million of them become unemployed each year. Meanwhile, 1.7 million students are enrolled in technical education, and 3 million in the madrasa stream. These figures demonstrate the essential role of technical education in shaping our future workforce.”
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500 Madrasas to Launch Technical Streams
In a significant policy update, the Secretary announced that technical programs will be introduced in another 500 madrasas next year, aiming to bridge the gap between religious and vocational education.
Regional and National Stakeholders Join
The seminar was chaired by Engineer Md. Ruhul Amin, Chairman of the Bangladesh Technical Education Board. Other notable participants included:
1. Mohammad Rihan Uddin, Acting Director, Directorate of Technical Education, Sylhet Regional Office
2. Engineer Md. Anwarul Kabir, Director (Curriculum), Bangladesh Technical Education Board
3. Md. Rezaul Karim, Additional District Magistrate and Acting Deputy Commissioner, Sunamganj
During the open discussion, madrasa principals from various institutions across Sylhet Division—including Maulana Nurul Islam (Meruakhal Mominia Madrasa), Maulana Abul Kalam (Maizbari Alhera Jamia Islamia), and Md. Kamruzzaman Chowdhury (Kamalbazar Fazil Madrasa)—shared insights and welcomed the government’s approach to blending technical education with religious schooling.
Source: TBS
