Bangladesh will be built as an international education hub: Education minister

Education Minister Ehsanul Haque Milon on Saturday said the government is working to develop the country’s education sector so that the students from different countries of the world come to Bangladesh for higher studies.

“Bangladesh will be built as an international education hub,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion meeting and freshers' reception organised on the occasion of the auspicious inauguration of the academic activities of Naogaon University at the Naogaon Sadar Upazila Parishad auditorium.

He said the biggest source of the country is human resources.  If this human resource can be developed into a skilled, technology-dependent with world-class educated manpower, it will be possible to establish Bangladesh as an international education hub.

The education minister said the huge youth population of Bangladesh is the country's biggest competitive strength.  There is no alternative to expanding university education, technical and vocational technical education to transform this population into skilled human resources, he added.

Milon said that the government wants to build such universities where modern, multidimensional and contemporary educational activities will be conducted in harmony with local needs.

In this context, he mentioned that  in many developed countries of the world, universities are being closed or merged due to declining populations.

On the other hand, the demand for higher education in Bangladesh is constantly increasing and this opportunity should be utilised to build an international standard education system, so that foreign students are also interested in pursuing higher education in Bangladesh.

Milon said no compromise will be made in the recruitment of teachers and it will be ensured on the basis of merit, qualification and transparency. 

He further said Naogaon University will be developed as one of the centers of excellence for higher education in the northern region.

Considering local needs, he said there will be opportunities to launch need-based faculties including agriculture, food processing, preservation technology, science and technology, business studies, social sciences and medical sciences.

The education minister said the government is giving highest importance to improving the quality of the country's education system, modernising the examination system and expanding technical and vocational education.

He said the current government has increased allocation in the education sector and is working towards the goal of spending 5% of GDP in the education sector in phases.

Employment-oriented education will be ensured specially through the expansion of technical and vocational education, Milon further said.

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The education minister hoped that everyone must work together to build the youth of the country as creative, skilled and patriotic citizens. It is possible to turn Bangladesh into a knowledge-based state by increasing the quality of education, expanding research and strengthening international cooperation.

The event was presided over by Naogaon University Vice-Chancellor Prof Hasnat Ali.

Special guests who spoke at the event included State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof Mamun Ahmed, UGC member Dr Abdullah-Al-Mamun and Director General of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) Dr Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel.

Members of parliament from Naogaon, vice-chancellors of various universities, local public representatives, senior officials of the administration, teachers, students and dignitaries were present at the event.

Later, the minister welcomed 80 students of the first batch of the Accounting and Law departments of Naogaon University by gifting them saplings of Naogaon's traditional mango tree and bags.