DHAKA, March 1, 2019 (BSS) – The government has undertaken a big move to enhance the capacity of all the 64 public technical schools and colleges across the country in a bid to develop skilled and efficient human resources.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved a new project to this end on Wednesday with an estimated cost of Taka 1,533.83 crore. The entirely fund will come from the state exchequer. The Directorate of Technical Education will implement the project by June 2021.
“The main project objective is to raise the enrollment in these technical schools and colleges through the admission of some 6,960 new students with the introduction of four-year Diploma in Engineering course,” said a senior Planning Commission official.
The official told BSS that the project will also aim to ensure quality education in the SSC (vocational) and HSC (vocational) and six-month-long short course in the first and second shifts in all the 64 technical schools and colleges.
“Besides, each and every public technical school and college will be transformed into a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) model organization,” added the official.
Commenting on the project, Planning Minister MA Mannan said this scheme is very important in the national context as the government wants to enhance both the quality and quantity of technical education.
The enrollment in technical education was only 8-9 percent 10 years back, he said, adding, “Efforts are on to enhance the enrollment rate to 25 percent by 2025 through ensuring necessary capacity building of these technical schools and colleges”.
When contacted, another official at the Technical and Madrasa Education Division said that the vocational training institutes were first introduced in the country back in 1958 while SSC Vocational and HSC Vocational courses were introduced in 1995 and 1997 respectively.
Later, these Vocational Training Institutes were upgraded into Technical School and Colleges in 2003. Under the project, diploma in engineering course will be introduced in 7 technologies in all these 64 technical schools and colleges alongside the existing vocational curriculum to increase the enrollment of TVET students.
The main project operations include construction of 64 academic and workshop buildings including 13 seven-storey buildings and 51 five-storey buildings, procurement of necessary machineries, equipments and furniture and appointment of some 320 part-time teachers.
The Pre Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting on the project was held on February 13 last year where the Planning Commission recommended for implementing the project.