DHAKA, Oct 8, 2020 (BSS) – State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Md Zakir Hossain today said at present 17 percent population of Bangladesh is technically skilled while the government is committed to increasing this number to 20 percent by 2021 and 60 percent by 2040.
He said this while speaking as chief guest at a coordination meeting of pre-vocational training activities of Reaching Out of School Children (ROSC) Phase-II project under the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education in Cox’s Bazar today.
Director General of the Department of Primary Education Sohel Ahmed, Additional Secretary (Development) of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education Ratan Chandra Pandit, Director of ROSC Phase-II Project Md. Mahbub Hasan Shaheen and Deputy Country Director of Save the Children Program Operations Bandana Risal attended the meeting as special guests.
The state minister said the government’s goal is to ensure suitable jobs for all by expanding opportunities and improving the quality of education ranging from primary to technical level.
He also said the ROSC project has created a second chance of education for dropouts and children of extremely poor families who could not participate in the primary education cycle.
This project has created opportunities for about 6.90 lakh students to study up to class 5 by conducting Ananda school activities in 148 upazilas of Bangladesh.
A significant aspect of this project is the pre-vocational skill training activities and the purpose is to help those who could not participate in the next course after completing primary education and those who are 15-24 years of age to develop their vocational skills and help them to get job or to develop themselves as entrepreneurs.
The state minister further said that the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is committed to improving the quality of education. The government is handing out new books to the students from the first day of the year every year across the country, he added.
The stipend, mid-day meal, nationalization of schools including teachers are important steps of the government to prevent dropouts and the success of the present government in the field of education is universally admired and visible, he added.