The government is putting utmost importance on technology-based education to equip students for building a Smart Bangladesh so that multimedia classrooms and computer labs have been set up at educational institutions along with giving ICT training to teachers.
With a view to enhancing students’ proficiency in information technology and to modernize teaching methods, a total of 33,285 multimedia classrooms and 11,307 computer labs have been set up in selected educational institutions at secondary and higher education level since 2009.
In addition, 64,925 multimedia classrooms and 12,000 labs will be set up in future.
Talking to BSS, Aspire to Innovate (a2i) Programme Project Director Dr Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir said greater importance is being given to technology-based education to equip students for building a Smart Bangladesh.
"The successful implementation of the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ encouraged the government to set the new target of building an innovative and knowledge-based ‘SMART Bangladesh’ coinciding with the ‘Vision-2041’ meant to turn Bangladesh into a developed country," he added.
“Our aim is to provide science- based, technology-based, skill-enhancing, innovation and creativity-supportive education that will instil the spirit of delivering services and their conscientiousness,” Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said while placing the national budget for fiscal 2023-24 in Parliament on June 1.
He added: “We are reaping the benefits of the government’s policies as well as targeted spending in education and skill development over the past 14 years. We can see its clear reflection in socio-economic variables.”
“Today’s children will make our dream of developed-prosperous-smart Bangladesh into reality. Therefore, we want to enable students to face all upcoming challenges mainly arising from the fourth industrial revolution, climate change and move forward,” he said.
According to a2i, some 800 officers at primary education level have been trained on ICT and more than 1 lakh primary teachers have been imparted hands-on training to create digital contents.
These teachers are creating digital contents and teaching in the classrooms. As a result, classroom study is becoming interesting and the children are becoming more attentive in class.
Digital contents of 21 textbooks of primary level and the interactive digital text of 16 textbooks of class VI have been completed and uploaded on the website.
A total of 59,000 laptops, multimedia projectors and sound systems have been provided along with internet connectivity to more than 50,000 government primary schools to set up multimedia classrooms.
E-learning modules for 6 textbooks of class VII and class VIII and e-learning material of 6 textbooks for class IX and class XI have been developed and uploaded. A total of 710 ICT learning centres have been set up in selected educational institutions.
Since 2009, around 5 lakh secondary and higher secondary level teachers have been trained in ICT.
Audio-visual training contents have been developed for teachers on classroom activities of 52 all subjects of class VI and VII and training has been imparted to all teachers through open reading.
The posts of 255 ICT teachers have been created and teachers have been appointed in those posts in government colleges. Under the 'Secondary Education Quality and Access Enhancement Project (SEQAEP)', more than 37 lakh additional classes in Mathematics, English and Science have been conducted across the country.
Under the same Programme, 10,447 teachers have been appointed for teaching subjects like Mathematics, English and Science. Science-education materials have been provided to 20,000 educational institutions and educational materials to 30,000 educational institutions to increase students' interest.
All information of students, teachers, infrastructure and land have been collected, processed and stored online in 31,000 educational institutions. A total 138 citizen charter services of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education have been launched online (My Gov).
Through this platform, any citizen can receive services online from any place. Inspection of field offices and educational institutions has been brought under the Digital Monitoring System (DMS) app. Scholarships are being remitted to students’ bank accounts under G-to-P. We will take further steps phase by phase so that the government's commitment to building a 'Smart Bangladesh' is realized.
Considering the 'strength of youth' as the source of the ‘prosperity of Bangladesh’, the government has been implementing various activities to promote technical and vocational education to maximize this strength.
It is evident in the enrolment rate in technical education in 2022 which is 17.2 percent compared to just 1 percent in 2010.
The enrolment rate in technical education should be increased to 30 percent by 2030 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
The government is working tirelessly to achieve this goal.
The government is also conducting various programmes for talented, poor, and students with special needs.
Through the Integrated Scholarship Programme under the Prime Minister's Education Assistance Trust, the government is providing scholarships and tuition fees to poor and meritorious students and providing fellowships and scholarships to researchers.
Kazi Delwar Hossain, director of Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust, said the government is providing stipends for around Taka 850 crore to over 44 lakh students annually at secondary level under the trust.
On the occasion of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth centenary 'Mujib Borsho', the government introduced 'Bangabandhu Scholar' Award for meritorious students of university level under the trust, he said, adding that 13 students were given the award in the first year.