Vice President of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) Dr. Ali Ercan met with State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj at his office in the ministry today. Photo: PID

DHAKA, June 7, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj today said Bangladesh aspires to reach the level of progress achieved by Turkey in science, technology and innovation in the future. 

To this end, he stressed the need to strengthen students' foundations in science, mathematics, technology and problem-solving skills from the primary level.

"Our goal is to build such a primary education system where a ten-year-old student will be prepared for modern science and technology-based education upon entering the secondary level," he added.

The state minister made the remarks when a delegation led by Vice President of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) Dr. Ali Ercan met him at his office in the ministry today, according to a PID release.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed in detail the expansion of cooperation between Bangladesh and Turkey in the primary education sector, including teacher training, infrastructure development, curriculum modernization and improvement of educational quality.

Highlighting various reform initiatives in Bangladesh's primary education system, the State Minister said the government is currently placing special emphasis on teacher training, formulation of new curricula, infrastructure development, digital education and exchange of international experiences.

He also said Bangladesh has already launched knowledge-sharing programmes with several countries on education administration, curriculum development, infrastructure planning and non-formal education, expressing interest in developing similar cooperation with Turkey.

At the meeting, Dr. Ali Ercan said the leadership, enthusiasm and far-sighted plans of State Minister Bobby Hajjaj regarding primary education are highly commendable.

He expressed hope that the state minister's initiatives and reform ideas for improving the quality of education would bring positive changes to Bangladesh's primary education sector.

Both sides emphasized potential financial and technical assistance in the primary education sector, development of model schools, enhancement of teachers' skills, construction of education-friendly infrastructure, and exchange of experiences on national education philosophy and teaching methods.