Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, Convener of the Citizen's Platform for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stated today (April 29) that technical and vocational education will be key factors in addressing Bangladesh's challenges after graduating from the list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

"Instead of discriminatory policies toward technical and vocational education, these areas should be prioritized. We must develop our human resources," he said, addressing the media briefing titled "Technical and Vocational Education in Bangladesh: Current Situation and Reform Thoughts" at the CPD office.

The Citizen's Platform for SDGs organized the event to draw government attention to issues related to technical and vocational education institutions. The media briefing was arranged to accelerate national initiatives by addressing the current situation and suggesting potential policy measures.

Dr. Debapriya, also a distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), urged the government to pay proper attention to technical and vocational education.

"We now see students protesting with various demands. Unfortunately, policymakers aren't adequately listening to them, and their issues aren't receiving sufficient media coverage," he said.

Last year, the CPD conducted a social audit at the grassroots level with the cooperation of the Citizen's Platform. This initiative involved current and former students, trainees, teachers, guardians, government officials, and other stakeholders from technical and vocational education institutions.

Based on this research, a national conference was held in Dhaka on 2 November 2024.

The research highlighted various issues related to teaching methods in technical and vocational institutions, their effectiveness, the acceptability of technical education certificates in domestic and international labour markets, and negative social attitudes toward students and trainees.

Among others, CPD Distinguished Fellow Dr. Mustafizur Rahman was present on the occasion.