ADB keen to invest in Bangladesh’s ICT, agribusiness

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed interest in investing in Bangladesh’s information and communication technology (ICT) and agribusiness sectors, as well as supporting industry-academia partnerships through investments and grants.
ADB Country Director for Bangladesh Qingfeng Zhang conveyed the interest during a meeting with Prime Minister’s Adviser on Education, Primary and Mass Education Mahdi Amin at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon on Thursday afternoon.
The ADB delegation also included Director of the Human and Social Development Division Gi Soon Song, Education Project Officer Faiza Ahad and Programme Officer Farin Islam.
During the meeting, Zhang outlined plans to invest in strengthening research and development capacity in computer science, ICT and software engineering at higher education institutions.
The bank also plans to support stronger collaboration between industries and educational institutions and promote research-based entrepreneurship at agricultural universities.
He also discussed initiatives to improve teachers’ skills at secondary and higher education levels and enhance classroom teaching through interactive learning materials and artificial intelligence (AI).
Zhang said a key objective of the ADB initiatives was to ensure that university research went beyond academic publications and helped solve practical problems faced by industries.
Mahdi Amin briefed the delegation on the government’s initiatives and future plans to modernise the country’s education system.
He said the government had introduced two compulsory subjects, Sports and Culture, in Class Four for the first time in Bangladesh as part of a major reform aimed at making education more enjoyable and participatory.
The subjects were introduced in Class Four this academic year and will be extended to Class Five next academic year. The government plans to gradually make sports and culture compulsory across all classes, he added.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to expanding female education, Amin said the previous government led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia had introduced free education for girls up to Class XII.
The current government has announced plans to extend free education for women up to the undergraduate level, with a medium-term goal of expanding the facility to postgraduate level within the next two to three years, he said.
He also said the government had launched a mid-day meal programme for students from Class One to Class Five in 150 government primary schools, with plans to gradually extend it to all primary schools across the country.
On improving classroom environments, Amin said the government was gradually replacing traditional benches in government primary schools with individual desks and chairs. The initiative also included providing free school uniforms and mid-day meals.
The government was also introducing learning toys and outdoor sports equipment, including slides, on school premises to support children’s mental development and create a learning environment centred on happiness and culture, he added.