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Technical and Vocational Education

Streamlined approach needed: speakers

Staff Correspondent
Comprehensive efforts from government and donors for effective planning and its implementation is necessary for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and skills development sector, speakers at a roundtable said yesterday.
Introduction of Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) in the TVET and skills development sector is needed, but there are big challenges ahead before adopting the approach, they added.
Discussants said SWAp is a process in which funding for the sector --whether from the public exchequer or donors - supports a single policy and expenditure programme, under government leadership.
Participating in a roundtable on "Way to TVET SWAp: Opportunities and Challenges" arranged by Bangla daily Prothom Alo at its office in assistance with ILO Bangladesh, participants proposed a thorough analysis of demand of skilled labour in local and international market before adopting SWAp.
They said better linking between education and training to current
and emerging demands for jobs in country and abroad are important. All stakeholders will need to work together under the leadership of the government, who will need to set the priorities.
“There is a huge challenge before introducing SWAp in the technical education sector," said Unicef Senior Education Advisor Chowdhury Mufad Ahmed, also former additional secretary of education ministry.
Apart from ministry of education, other ministries are involved in the technical education sector as well as skill development process, he added.
Technical and Madrasa Education Division Secretary Md Alamgir said 22 ministries work on the technical education and skill development process.
Alamgir alleged that many donors do not respond to request for funding in technical education, adding that the government is working on reaching technical education to more people. "Government is planning to introduce a technical education course for all students of general stream from class VI," he added.
Directorate of Technical Education director Jahangir Alam said the government has been successful in increasing enrolment in TVET.
He, however said there is duplication in development projects carried out by the donors. "SWAp will be effective for a concerted effort and will help get rid of such duplications," he added.
The government has to take the driving seat of SWAp in TVET sector, otherwise it might collapse, observed World Bank senior economist Syed Rashed Al-Zayed.
Bangladesh Employers' Federation President Kamran T Rahman said there are gap of skills in the force labour in Bangladesh. "This skill gap will widen in the future as technology-led fourth industrial revolution is approaching," he added.
"We need quality technical education based on market demand. For that, qualified teachers, well-equipped institutions and up-to-date curriculum are must," Rahman said.
National Coordination Committee for Workers Education President Shah Md Abu Zafar said currently technical education is facing acute teacher crisis, lack of proper infrastructure and monitoring from government.
"I heard there is a need for governance and transparency in budgeting and necessity of result-based planning," ILO Bangladesh country director Tuomo Poutiainen said. "There are some intense issues such as weak educational institutions, high degree of informality, and gender disparity in the labour market."
Former line director of Primary Health Care at Directorate General of Health Services Zakir Hussain; Team Leader of Education and Human Development of ELI Delegation Dorte Bosse; ILO specialist Manas Bhattacharya; Global Affairs Canada Senior Development Advisor Riful Jannat; and Asian Development Bank Social Sector Specialist Zhigang Li spoke at the roundtable, moderated by Prothom Alo Associate Editor Abdul Quayum.