For job-oriented education

WHETHER redundant types of education are being pursued over education that helps the creation of human resources is posing increasingly a serious question in Bangladesh. Clearly, the country requires not the creation of certificate holders in the name of education but useful manpower to feed the growing diverse needs of its economy. Investors in education -- meaning both the public and the private sectors -- ought to also branch out of investments in traditional or general education. It is highly preferable that they look to other areas where profitability would be more or less assured and where new educational capacities would create human resources in different fields in support of entrepreneurial activities.

Institutions to impart education and training on fashion for the RMG sector and on leather technology are in very short supply. But these institutions can help produce skilled manpower for rapid expansion of the garment and the leather industries having great export dimension. Specialised educational institutions to teach agriculture science that can create manpower in support of the growing export oriented agro industries could be another worthwhile field of investment. The private sector can similarly invest in polytechnics, engineering universities and colleges with assured rates of return on their investments. There is a big demand for engineering and vocational education and compared to the demand facilities for receiving such education in the country are in short supply. Investments made in this area will not only meet demand but help in the creation of a workforce to increasingly supply the needs of various sectors of the economy. There should be more investments in information and communication technology (ICT) education considering the huge potential of this sphere.

However, in all of these areas and more, investors must be guided by the principle of providing truly quality education. Bangladeshi students presently go abroad in large numbers in quest of quality education. If they have access to similar education at home, then their fascination for foreign destinations will very likely decline. In that case, the country would be making a huge saving of money that is now drained in paying the charges and living expenses of its student population abroad.

Government's regulations usually create more impediments to investments than encouraging the same. But the ground for effective regulation of bodies imparting education privately has also arisen because of the less than the expected degree of quality maintained by many of these bodies. Therefore, useful regulations of the private educational institutions has also become essential to ensure quality education. These regulations, at present, are very weak. There is, thus, an urgent need to strengthen regulatory activities in this sphere. But the same must be guided prudentially in order to prevent dislocation. The best strategy should be to create enough pressure on the errant educational institutions to undertake activities on a time-bound basis to make up for their deficiencies.