Technical education will be crucial post-LDC graduation: Debapriya

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Convener of the Citizen's Platform for SDGs, said on Tuesday that technical and vocational education will play a critical role in addressing Bangladesh's development challenges following its graduation from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) list.

“Instead of maintaining discriminatory policies against technical and vocational education, we need to prioritise these areas. Building a skilled workforce is essential,” he said at a media briefing titled "Technical and Vocational Education in Bangladesh: Current Situation and Reform Thoughts", held at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) office.

The briefing, organised by Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, aimed to draw government attention to the current state of technical and vocational education institutions and propose policy reforms.

Dr Debapriya, also a distinguished fellow at CPD, emphasised the need for greater government focus on this sector. “Students are protesting with legitimate demands, yet policymakers are not engaging with them, and the media coverage remains insufficient,” he noted.

He referenced a grassroots social audit conducted by CPD last year in collaboration with the Citizen’s Platform. The audit included insights from current and former students, trainees, teachers, guardians, government officials, and other stakeholders involved in technical and vocational education.

Findings from the research were shared at a national conference held in Dhaka on 2 November 2024. The study revealed numerous concerns, including ineffective teaching methods, limited recognition of technical certificates in domestic and international labour markets, and prevailing negative social perceptions about technical education.

CPD Distinguished Fellow Dr Mustafizur Rahman was also present at the event.