‘Revamping the curriculum is crucial to meet industry needs’

Bangladesh should revamp its curriculum and overall education system to meet the demands of the evolving job market, strengthen research and innovation and adopt global best practices, said Professor Dr Ayub Nabi Khan, a professional engineer and the acting vice-chancellor of BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT), in an exclusive interview with the Daily Sun’s Rafikul Islam. He recommended that all universities establish dedicated entrepreneurship centres, seed funding mechanisms and mentorship networks. Through the interview, he also urged the government and private sector to collaborate with universities to formulate startup-friendly policies, investment programmes and tax incentives to support student entrepreneurs.

Daily Sun : Around two million people enter the Bangladesh job market yearly, but industrialists claim they do not get the required skilled people. How can the country solve the problem?
Nabi Khan: To bridge the gap, the education system must align with the evolving demands of the job market.
Key strategies are revamping curriculum to meet industry needs, expanding vocational and technical training, promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics and digital skills, encouraging apprenticeships and internships, improving soft skills and critical thinking.
Curricula should be regularly updated based on emerging technologies (eg, AI, IoT, automation, etc) and strengthen industry-academia collaboration to ensure graduates meet employer expectations.
We should establish research hubs to develop local solutions to industrial challenges, provide government and private funding for university research collaborations and encourage students to work on real-world industry projects.
Daily Sun : You have over 35 years of experience in teaching, management and industrial consultancy. Do you see major changes in Bangladeshi industries and academic curriculum in the last decade?
Nabi Khan: The changes are rapid growth in manufacturing, ICT, automation and technology adoption, shift towards export diversification and demand for skilled workforce.
The RMG sector remains dominant while ICT, fintech and pharmaceuticals have grown remarkably. Industries are increasingly using AI, robotics and digital solutions to enhance productivity. Electronics, light engineering and agribusiness are expanding. With the expansion of various sectors, demands have increased for skilled workforce with technical, managerial and digital skills.
Bangladesh must accelerate curriculum reforms, strengthen vocational training and foster innovation-driven learning to address the mismatch between industry demands and graduates’ skills.
Daily Sun : Are educational institutions generating job creators or job seekers in Bangladesh?
Nabi Khan: Bangladesh’s education system primarily produces job seekers rather than job creators, as most graduates aim for jobs at home or abroad rather than entrepreneurship. While some progress has been made in fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, universities still have significant gaps in supporting students to launch startups.
Most universities still follow traditional, theory-based curricula rather than practical ones. Entrepreneurship-driven learning is needed. Business schools include entrepreneurship courses, but they are often theoretical with minimal hands-on experience. On the other hand, technical universities such as BUFT, BUET, CUET and BUTEX focus on engineering skills but offer limited business training for startups.
A few universities have business incubators, accelerators, or startup funding programmes to help students transition from ideas to real businesses, except for institutions like NSU Startups Next, BRAC University’s Entrepreneurship Development Centre and DU Innovation Hub.
Universities rarely have strong mentorship programmes with business leaders, angel investors, or venture capitalists. Internship programmes focus more on job placement rather than helping students start businesses. Collaboration with industry is increasing, but not enough to create a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Moreover, there are funding and financial support challenges, such as access to seed funding, venture capital and limited government grants for university-based startups. Government initiatives like Startup Bangladesh exist, but university students rarely benefit due to bureaucratic challenges. There is a lack of university-managed investment funds for student entrepreneurs.
Private universities, BUFT, NSU, IUB, BRACU, UIU, are leading in promoting entrepreneurship, but public universities are lagging. More entrepreneurship boot camps, hackathons and startup competitions are needed across all universities.
Universities can play a bigger role in fostering a startup-driven economy with better policies, stronger industry collaboration and financial support.
Daily Sun : How are AI, big data and digital transformation reflected in Bangladeshi education curriculum?
Nabi Khan: Bangladesh’s education system is gradually adapting to AI, big data, and digital transformation, but progress remains uneven and slow. While some institutions have started modernising curricula, many still lag in integrating these technologies effectively. AI applications in healthcare, finance and agriculture are being explored in some research projects.
There are some challenges and gaps, such as AI is not integrated into mainstream education beyond a few specialised courses, a lack of trained AI faculty, limited hands-on learning resources, and limited AI adoption in schools.
There is no nationwide education data system to track student progress and improve curriculum planning. Public universities still rely on traditional assessment models rather than data-driven learning insights.
We should revise the curriculum to integrate AI, data science and digital skills across disciplines, invest in teacher training programmes for AI and digital education methods, expand digital infrastructure in rural schools and universities, foster public-private partnerships to build AI-driven education solutions and encourage hands-on projects, hackathons and AI research competitions.
Daily Sun : Many foreign employees and employers work in different industries in Bangladesh. Can our students replace them in the next 10 years?
Nabi Khan: Bangladesh employs many foreign professionals, particularly in RMG, IT, engineering, hospitality, finance and specialised technical fields due to a shortage of skilled local talent. Most are from India, Sri Lanka, China, the Philippines and Western expatriates.
Bangladeshi universities do not engage sufficiently with industries, leading to a lack of real-world exposure for students. Many local graduates struggle in communication, leadership and cross-cultural collaboration, making them less competitive.
Daily Sun : What does BUFT do to create skilled manpower for industries and make success stories of student-led startups?
Nabi Khan: The BUFT is one of the leading institutions dedicated to fashion, textiles, apparel and technology education in Bangladesh. It plays a crucial role in developing skilled professionals for the RMG textile and fashion industries while promoting entrepreneurship and student-led startups.
BUFT offers specialised degree programmes in apparel manufacturing, textile engineering, fashion design, knitwear engineering and supply chain management to produce job-ready graduates. Programmes are aligned with industry needs, ensuring that students are trained in the latest garment production technologies, automation and sustainable textile practices.
Strong collaboration is required with BGMEA, BKMEA, leading apparel manufacturers and multinational fashion brands to launch internship and apprenticeship programmes to expose students to industrial sewing, pattern-making, production planning, merchandising and quality control.
BUFT offers short courses and diploma programmes for upskilling industry workers in textile technology, industrial automation and fashion innovation, using modern textile laboratories, CAD-based garment design and automation tools.
We focus on eco-friendly textiles, circular fashion and green garment production. Students engage in industry-led research projects to improve fabric sustainability and smart textiles.
BUFT has established entrepreneurship-focused courses and mentoring programmes to encourage students to launch their own fashion, textile and e-commerce startups.
BUFT graduates have already launched sustainable clothing startups, focusing on organic fabrics and ethical production. Students have created custom tailoring and on-demand fashion e-commerce businesses using AI-driven customisation. Some alumni have established boutique garment units serving international buyers. Student entrepreneurs work at online fashion marketplaces, 3D garment visualisation tools and digital design solutions.
BUFT works with global brands like H&M, Uniqlo and Decathlon to support student-led innovations. BUFT students have participated in international design competitions and secured grants for fashion-tech startups.