Expanding TVET can turn huge population into a resource: Education Minister

Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Sunday said there is no alternative to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to transform the country's population into human resources.

The minister made the remarks while speaking as chief guest at a programme titled "A National Dialogue on TVET for a Skilled & Productive Bangladesh" held at Daffodil Plaza auditorium in Dhanmondi.

The minister said technical education plays a crucial role in the socio-economic development of the country.

"We have to come out of the concept of only conventional education. There is no alternative to technical education in building a developed Bangladesh," he said, adding that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has taken a plan to turn the country's huge population into human resources, and they are working keeping that goal in mind, giving the highest priority to technical education.

He further said there is huge global demand for skilled manpower in technical education, noting that expatriate workers are one of the main sources of the country's foreign currency earnings.

"If we can send them abroad with skills, our economy will be further enriched," he said, stressing the need to give more importance to technical education.

To this end, the minister said four more engineering colleges are going to be established in Bangladesh. Besides, he said, Dhaka Polytechnic Institute will be developed as a model institution, for which a separate project is being undertaken.