Without active participation of the private sector, it is not possible for the government alone to ensure quality education, speakers at a roundtable said yesterday.

There is a severe lack of skilled professionals in all sectors of the country, they said and called on the businesspeople to invest in the education sector in order to develop human resources.

Ensuring quality education will also help the business sector as quality education is closely linked to the quality of labour forces, they pointed out.

Advancing Public Interest Trust (APIT), MRC-Mode Limited and the Shaptahik 2000, a weekly magazine, organised the roundtable on 'Corporate engagement and government facilitation: Corporate social responsibility and education' at a city hotel.

Educationists, politicians, entrepreneurs, business leaders and NGO activists took part in the roundtable moderated by eminent economist Prof Muzaffer Ahmad.

Law Minister Moudud Ahmed attended the discussion as a resource speaker.

"It is not possible for any government in the world to provide all the funds for education. So, corporate financing can play a key role in improving the quality of education," said former education minister ASHK Sadique.

He also said some people are running educational institutions only to make money, but there is no law to stop such practices.

Prof Muzaffer Ahmad said education should be used as a tool of capacity building, but the educa-

tion system is becoming a certificate-oriented one.

Education should be the foundation of social development, he said and called for an end to the politicisation of the education sector.

Law Minister Moudud Ahmed said the quality of education is deteriorating as there is no accountability in the educational institutions in rural areas.

He said corporate organisations

should come forward to develop educational institutions, but a coordination committee and a code of conduct for them are a must to ensure quality education.

Former President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) Sayeeful Islam said that while the rate of unemployment in the country is very high, there are many top level positions that are either vacant or

occupied by foreigners as there is a lack of skilled manpower in the country.

DCCI President MA Momen, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association President M A Awal, former BGMEA President Anisul Haque, APIT Executive Director Sabbir Bin Shams and Acting Editor of Shaptahik 2000 Golam Mortoza also spoke at the roundtable.