Skills development for govt officials: Pakistan now the training destination
Following the signing of an MoU in 2014, officials had been travelling to India for training programmes, with the most recent visit taking place in 2023.
During the tenure of the interim government, no further training programmes were held in India amid strained relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.
For many years, India was the primary destination for training programmes aimed at improving the skills of Bangladeshi government officials. However, following the political transition, that arrangement has come to a halt. As a result, officials have now travelled to Pakistan for training for the first time.
Under a leadership and capacity development programme, 12 senior government officials from Bangladesh are currently undergoing training at the Civil Services Academy (CSA) in Lahore. Among them, one is an additional secretary and the remaining 11 are joint secretaries. The training programme, which began on 4 May, will continue until 21 May.
According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration, the Government of Pakistan is covering all expenses related to travel, accommodation, meals and training. The Bangladesh government has no financial involvement in the visit. Participating officials will be required to submit reports within five working days of returning home.
Training long tilted towards India
Previously, Bangladeshi officials mainly travelled to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, for training.
The arrangement began in 2014 during the tenure of the Awami League government through the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Bangladesh’s Ministry of Public Administration and the Delhi-based National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG).
A second agreement between the two countries was signed on 9 February 2019, followed by a third agreement signed in Dhaka on 30 April 2024. The latest agreement was valid for one year.
According to sources at the Ministry of Public Administration, Bangladeshi officials were no longer sent to India for training after the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August 2024 amid the student-led mass uprising and subsequent diplomatic tensions between Dhaka and New Delhi. Consequently, no Bangladeshi official has travelled there for training since 2023.
Five administration cadre officials who previously completed 14-day training programmes in India told Prothom Alo that the courses mainly focused on explaining how India’s government system functions, how roads are constructed, and how local government institutions operate. Participants were also taken on field visits to several locations.
Officials sent to India for training generally included additional district magistrates, upazila nirbahi officers, senior assistant secretaries, senior assistant commissioners, assistant commissioners (land), and other officials of equivalent rank within the administration cadre.
Although the exact number remains unclear, a source at the Ministry of Public Administration said roughly 3,000 Bangladeshi officials have so far received training in India.
Pakistan’s proposal finally receives a response
Relevant sources at the Ministry of Public Administration said the Government of Pakistan had repeatedly invited Bangladesh to send officials for training in Lahore, but the Awami League government did not respond positively to those proposals.
The issue resurfaced during the tenure of the interim government when then Home Secretary Nasimul Ghani, currently Cabinet Secretary, visited Pakistan. During that visit, Bangladesh responded positively to Pakistan’s proposal.
Later, after the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) formed the government following the 13th parliamentary election, Pakistan formally sent an invitation through diplomatic channels via the foreign ministry. It was on that basis that Bangladeshi officials were sent to Pakistan this time.
However, Mohammad Monirul Islam, additional secretary of the Career Planning and Training Wing of the Ministry of Public Administration, told Prothom Alo that no formal agreement has yet been signed with Pakistan.
Support for training in both countries
Since the BNP assumed power in February, signs of improving relations between Dhaka and New Delhi have become increasingly visible. Amid this development, India has once again invited Bangladeshi officials to participate in training programmes.
On 3 May, applications were invited for various courses under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a ministry official told Prothom Alo that earlier training arrangements in India had been designed exclusively for Bangladeshi officials. In contrast, the newly proposed programmes would include officials from various countries, meaning fewer Bangladeshis would have opportunities to participate. The conditions are also more complex. Nevertheless, the official described India’s renewed offer as a positive development.
Former rector of the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) and former secretary AKM Abdul Awal Majumder told Prothom Alo that Bangladeshi officials should receive training in both India and Pakistan.
He insisted that maintaining good relations with neighbouring countries is important because Bangladesh shares similarities with them in education, culture and administrative realities.
He added that if the agreement with India has not been renewed, it should be renewed.
Highlighting the significance of such programmes, Abdul Awal Majumder said the civil service systems in both India and Pakistan are more advanced than Bangladesh’s.
However, he also stressed the need to evaluate how effectively officials apply their foreign training after returning home.