DHAKA, April 27, 2019 (BSS) – Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar today called upon the Dhaka University students to be innovative entrepreneurs without only hunting for government jobs after the completion of studies.
“The government cannot manage jobs for the large number of youths. Moreover, the government job opportunities will decrease in the coming days. That is why the government is encouraging the youths to generate newer innovative ideas to be self-reliant,” he told a workshop at Dhaka University Senate Bhaban here.
Leading youth platform ‘Young Bangla’ and Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (IDEA) project under ICT Division is arranging the two-day workshop as part of a competition for the university students titled ‘Student to Start-Up’ Chapter One.
ICT Division Joint Secretary and IDEA Project Director Syed Mojibul Haque, Bangladesh Computer Council Executive Director Partha Pratim Deb, DU Business Studies Faculty Dean Professor Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam, DU Innovation Creativity and Entrepreneurship Center Vice-Chairman and DU International Business Department Supernumerary Professor Khandkar Bazlul Haque and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University Professor Md Rashidul Hasan addressed the workshop, among others.
‘Student to Start-Up’ is a competition to find out young entrepreneurs having innovative ideas as they can contribute to the country’s development.
Students of all public and private universities across the country can contest in the competition by registering their names under 40 selective university categories visiting ‘http://startupbangladesh.gov.bd/student-to-startup/’ till May 3 while the registration process was introduced on March 8 last, organizers said.
With the slogan of ‘My innovation, My Dream’, the Young Bangla, under the auspices of Centre for Research and Information (CRI) is supervising the competition.
The competition will be held on different dates in various universities.
From the participants, three teams will be chosen from each university and some 120 teams will qualify from 40 universities in the process. Later, a national start-up camp will be held at Savar with those teams.
From those, the audience and the judges will select 30 teams which will take part in the final competition of the ‘Student to Startup: Chapter 1’.
In the final competition, 10 start-up teams will be selected as winners and each team will get money, advice and all kinds of support to implement their innovative ideas and the rest 20 teams will be selected for being groomed.
Earlier, IDEA project director Syed Mojibul Haque said Startup Bangladesh Limited will invest Taka 1 crore for potential start-up teams which will have product value.
“We are working to find out entrepreneurs to help them implement their potential initiatives. We are preparing next generation for the future,” he said.
On March 15 in 2018, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between country’s biggest youth network ‘Young Bangla’ and IDEA project of ICT Division.