Technical education: Less scope for higher education, salaries low

The country’s technical education sector is not attracting as many students as it should. There are more than 171,000 vacant seats for Diploma-in-Engineering in public and private polytechnic institutes across the country. However, in the 2023–24 academic year, only 69,000 students enrolled, leaving over 100,000 seats vacant. Most of these empty seats are in private institutions, though government institutes also have vacancies.

In addition, a large number of seats remain vacant in SSC (Vocational) and HSC (Business Management) as well. This information was revealed in the latest annual report from the Bangladesh Technical Education Board. According to the report, student numbers are declining in core technical education courses, even though the number of institutions is increasing. However, the total number of students across all types of courses has increased.

According to concerned quarters, there is a lot of talk about technical education, but effective action is lacking. Students do not receive adequate practical training. The laboratories and curricula in educational institutions are outdated, and there is a shortage of qualified teachers. As a result, the quality of technical education is suffering. Also, students graduating from polytechnic institutes have limited scope for higher education. The country’s technical education system is also failing to produce skilled manpower in line with market demands. Consequently, even though graduates may find jobs relatively easily, their salaries and benefits are very low.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on the matter, the chairman of the Bangladesh Technical Education Board, engineer Md Ruhul Amin, said that the post-COVID situation had an impact. Many people lost their jobs and income opportunities declined. Many factories had deteriorated. Presently many young people are opting for short-term courses in an effort to enter the workforce quickly. They are inclined toward small-scale jobs. As a result, many private polytechnic institutes are facing a shortage of students.
According to a recent survey by the research institute Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), even when these students do get jobs, most of them start with a monthly salary of less than Tk 10,000.

Education experts believe that technical education must be prioritised for the future of the country, and the government needs to take effective action in this regard.

According to sources at the Technical Education Board, technical education is offered in more than 12,000 institutions across the country. There are officially three levels of technical and vocational education. These include two-year SSC (Vocational) and two-year HSC (Vocational) as well as the four-year diploma course. Additionally, various institutions have courses of various lengths. The government has set a target to increase the rate of technical and vocational training by 30 per cent within the year 2030.

Education advisor Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar (CR Abrar) stated at an event in the capital on 28 April that technical education has long been neglected and requires structural reform. There is a shortage of trade-based teachers in educational institutions, along with a lack of necessary skills and exposure to new technologies.

To address these issues, steps must be taken to make technical education more relevant and up-to-date. Many people remain unemployed despite having formal education, and as an alternative, more emphasis should be placed on technical education. It is necessary to integrate technical education with mainstream education, because technical education is often undervalued. It is sometimes referred to as a ‘mechanic-making factory.’ This kind of negative perception needs to change.

According to sources from the Technical Education Board, there are currently ten types of four-year diploma courses being offered. These include Diploma in Engineering, Diploma in Textile Engineering, Diploma in Agriculture Engineering, Diploma in Fisheries, Diploma in Forestry, Diploma in Livestock, Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality, Diploma in Engineering (Naval), Diploma in Engineering (Army) and Diploma in Medical Technology.
Most of the students opt for Diploma in Engineering. This programme offers education in 32 different trades, although not all institutions offer every trade. These four-year courses are typically open to students after completing SSC (Secondary School Certificate). Currently, these courses are taught through 56 public and 572 private polytechnic institutes across the country.

According to the Technical Education Board, government institutions have 43,500 seats. However, in the 2023–24 academic year, only 38,644 students enrolled in government institutions. That means nearly 5,000 seats remained vacant. In contrast, around 43,000 students were admitted to government institutions in the 2019–20 academic year. The following year, the number was over 44,000. In 2021–22, it was about 43,000, and in 2022–23, it rose to 44,500. This indicates that among the past five academic years, the lowest student enrollment in government polytechnic institutes occurred in 2023–24.

Private polytechnic institutes have a capacity of 128,000 seats. But in the 2023–24 academic year, only 30,136 students enrolled, meaning nearly 100,000 seats remained vacant. Private polytechnic institutes also saw the lowest number of student enrollments in the past five years.
Diploma in Textile Engineering has eight trades. This course is offered in 18 public and 216 private institutions. These institutions have a total of 38,550 seats. However, in the 2023–24 academic year, only 6,099 students enrolled. This is also the lowest enrollment in the past five years.

Previously, vocational education began from Grade 9, but now students are being admitted from Grade 6 onwards. These courses are taught in technical schools and colleges. SSC (Vocational) has 497,200 seats, but in the 2023–24 academic year, only around 185,000 students enrolled. This indicates a significant number of seats remain vacant.

There are allegations that approval for private educational institutions were given indiscriminately, but the quality of many of these institutions was poor.

While speaking to a student from Mymensingh in front of the Technical Education Board office in Agargaon, it was learn that such allegations were valid. On the condition of anonymity, the student said he had enrolled in a private textile and polytechnic institute, but there were hardly any real studies there. Only a handful of students attended classes. He canceled his admission at that institution and enrolled in another one in Mymensingh. As a result, he fell behind by nearly two semesters and also wasted money.

Currently, Dhaka Polytechnic Institute offers studies in 12 technologies, including architecture, automobile, civil, computer, electrical, electronics, food, chemical, environmental, air conditioning, power, and automobile technologies. Nearly 10,800 students are enrolled, divided into 108 groups for classes.

However, during a field visit on 7 May, the institute was found to be closed due to a student "shut-down" aimed at pressing their demands. Students, scrawling protest-related writings on the wall near the entrance, spoke about their common problems, but also expressed hope for a promising future for technical education.

A student, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that their curriculum was quite outdated. New technology has emerged, but the curriculum has not been updated accordingly. There is also a lack of practical education due to a shortage of equipment. In some cases, equipment is available but not used. Some of the individuals responsible for operating the equipment are not adequately skilled. Because of these issues, hands-on, practical education is being hindered.

Student of the power technology department, Md Sheikh Khalid Bin Wahid, told Prothom Alo that their demands include updating the curriculum to align with modern technologies and modernising and effectively utilising the laboratories.

According to officials of the Technical Education Board, students, and research findings, one of the major obstacles to improving technical education is societal perception. As a result, high-performing students are often not interested in pursuing technical education. Additionally, students are admitted to polytechnic institutes without any entrance exams. There is also a lack of regular attendance in classes.

Sources from the Technical Education Board stated that they are planning to introduce entrance exams for admission in the upcoming intake. Furthermore, initiatives are being taken to implement a centralized attendance monitoring system.

Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) recently conducted a survey on technical education in Panchagarh, Sunamganj, and Satkhira. Several challenges and necessary actions related to technical education were identified.
In the research report presented at Sunamganj, it was mentioned that although student participation in technical education has increased, the dropout rate has also risen to 44 per cent, up from the previous 29 per cent.

The report also noted that the intended outcomes of sending students to technical institutions are often not achieved. However, most students reported finding a job within three to six months after completing their education. However, there remains widespread dissatisfaction with the salaries. A large portion of survey respondents stated that graduates of technical education earn less than Tk 10,000 per month.

The survey presented at Satkhira echoed similar findings, stating that if technical education does not lead to well-paid employment opportunities, students’ interest in this field may decline in the future.

On 7 May, a student from a polytechnic institute, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had attended a job interview at a private company on 6 May, where the starting salary was around Tk 12,000.

A research report on Diploma in Engineering under the Technical Education Board reveals that more than half (51.7 per cent) of diploma graduates are employed in government, private, or NGO sectors. However, 22.4 per cent remain unemployed, and about 7 per cent have created their own self-employment opportunities after graduation.

A student of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, said, “The number of institutions and students is increasing, but if the quality is not improved, increasing numbers will be of no benefit.”

In response, Md Ruhul Amin, chairman of the Technical Education Board, told Prothom Alo that they were now being very cautious in approving new private polytechnic institutes. At the same time, they were collecting all relevant information and considering cancelling institutions that existed only in name.