The Brit ish Counci l was very pleased and privi leged to organise the two-day workshop on 'Entrepreneurship and Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Sector in Bangladesh' in collaboration with the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute. The workshop aimed to generate a greater level of awareness and to sensitise different stakeholders on key issues relating to linkages between Entrepreneurship and the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Sector. The focus on Public Private Partnerships showed the vital role that these can play in fostering the growth of social enterprises in the TVET sector in Bangladesh.
The British Council, in partnership with the Bangladesh Technical Education Board and the Department of Technical Education has been running Enterprise Challenge Awards for TVET students for the last three years to promote social entrepreneurship among students under its Skills for Employability project. The project aims to promote skills development and increase the employability of young people by encouraging closer links between education and industry. A fast changing policy framework, globalisation, and increasing deregulation all point to the potential of real and productive partnerships between the state and private sectors, and the British Council is proud to have been associated with taking this forward.
With best wishes
Charles
FORWARD BY CHARLES NUTTAL OBE
COUNTRY DIRECTORBRITISH COUNCIL BANGLADESH
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It gives me great pleasure to note that the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute and the British Council jointly organized a two-day workshop on 'Entrepreneurship and Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Sector in Bangladesh', from 15th to 16th January 2011 at Hotel Westin, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The workshop brought together around 70 participants - including policy makers, representatives from the government, academia, private sector, NGOs, civil society and media to discuss and review the present state of Technical and Vocational Education framework in Bangladesh. Mr. Dilip Barua, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Industries, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh inaugurated the workshop alongside Mr. Salahuddin Kasem Khan, Managing Director, A.K. Khan & Company Ltd, Muhammad A. (Rumee) Ali, Managing Director & Chairman, BRAC Enterprises & BRAC Bank, and Mr. Humayun Kabir, an expert on Technical and Vocational Education Curriculum, Mr. Stephan John, Head of Operations, People 1st, Sector Skills Council for Hospitality Travel and Tourism, United Kingdom (UK), presented the keynote paper.
In recent years, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has undertaken initiatives to go into partnership with the private sector to promote TVET and has extended its policies, to include basic and second cycle levels of TVET. TVET would allow greater private sector participation in the efficient delivery of services and facilitate an enhanced role for the private sector in the Government's initiative to promote Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprises. Skills acquisition is vital for the Bangladesh economy to compete and grow, particularly in an era of globalization, post-recession market economy, and technological change.
The workshop identified that skills needs is widespread in Bangladesh - that they are not only demanded by the modern wage sector but also by the agricultural and informal sectors. TVET is considered an important tool to improve the employability of individuals, increase productivity in industry, and, thus, to reduce poverty. Bangladesh has an established TVET system, but it is hampered by inadequate links with industry, has an outdated curriculum and weak delivery strategies. The workshop further identified that there is a global market for products and services. It also agreed that there must be a global market for the manpower and skills that deliver these products and services. While one of Bangladesh's strength is its large population, the global market is always looking for skilled workers. Therefore, to optimise the potential of the people, the TVET system in Bangladesh must offer skills which are at least on par with those of other developing countries. It was also agreed that skills are closely tied to economic growth and that the higher the skills level, the greater would be the potential affect on remittances and the Gross Domestic Product of Bangladesh.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE BY
FAROOQ SOBHANPRESIDENT BANGLADESH ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
03
Distinguished guests, participants and ladies and gentlemen. Good Morning.
At the very outset, let me extend my heartfelt thanks to the British Council and Bangladesh Enterprise Institute for having invited me to speak at this workshop on 'Entrepreneurship and Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Sector in Bangladesh'.. This workshop is a timely initiative and should be commended. I believe, during the next two days, the workshop wi l l effect ively highl ight the issues and concerns and identify a set of concrete recommendations focusing on the vocational and technical education sector in Bangladesh.
I believe that the presentations to be made by distinguished experts and practitioners on TVET will be very informative and enlightening and would eventually assist different stakeholders in obtaining a new perspective on TVET sector. In Bangladesh, TVET includes two major forms: vocational and technical education in formal education systems, and training outside the formal system of education. As I understand, the objective of this event is to enhance the growth of both the forms, the issues and recommendations to be identified in the next two days would help us in prioritizing immediate attention, facilitate processes to strengthen partnerships among the various stakeholders, and design effective modalities to improve TVET-related decision-making procedures. I would expect that this event will help us contrive the most effective means of achieving tangible progress in the TVET sector.
The issue of TVET is already on the agenda of the government and we are committed to provide strong support for the TVET sector. Given the growth pattern in Bangladesh economy and importance of surplus labor, Bangladesh needs more skilled human resources, both in terms of quantity and quality, more so than ever. Because of the changes in production processes resulting from technological advances, modern industries and services requires more skilled manpower. The thrust sector industries and business in Bangladesh are in need for adequately trained and skilled workforce for their expansion. Garments entrepreneurs have gone on record as saying they have more vacancies than they can fill at both blue and white collar levels and they currently have to outsource from abroad and the leather industry has no option but to send technicians overseas to obtain training both at a not insignificant cost. A revamped and modern vocational education can produce exactly this kind of manpower.
I believe, vocational education would contribute to the growth of Bangladesh economy, both by reducing unemployment, through creating employment in the fields of pre-vocational specialization and self-employment, and by engendering a higher propensity for labor force participation in the labor marker, improving productivity, and correspondingly resulting in higher earnings. Vocational education can also be seen as an equity measure. The vocational education will promote equity with rural needs and serve the needs of relatively poor people and help in halting migration to urban areas for work. Most importantly, TVET is a component for development of disadvantaged youth in rural and urban areas.
SPEECH BY:MR. DILIP BARUAHONOURABLE MINISTER, MINISTRY OF INDUSTRIESGOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH.Saturday, January 15, 2011, The Westin Hotel, Dhaka
04 05
As the transforming global economy is demanding more skills the value of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has gone up. Business sector is looking for better skilled manpower while experts in the education sector are also trying to make education more updated by incorporating tools for skills development. TVET has more relevance in Bangladesh, where both the education system as a whole requires an overhaul and the economy also needs skilled labour to power its forward march.
Let us look at some of the compelling factors that necessitate a deeper look at the value of TVET, particularly in Bangladesh. First, Bangladesh currently enjoys high rate of growth of labour force at an annual rate of 3.3%. With a youth bulge in its population, Bangladesh has 53.7 million people in the group of above 15 years of age. It is true Bangladesh has a relatively low rate of unemployment at 4.2% at this time, but the under employment rate is very high, which currently hovers at 28.7%. Likewise, according to Labour Force Survey of 2009 women participation at the labour force is still modest at 13%, and the wage rate is low too.
Second, Bangladesh economy suffers from another paradox. While demand for skilled workers is growing, skills are extremely low in supply. According to Bangladesh Economic Review of 2010 around 48.4% of our labour force is now employed in agricultural sector, where the underemployment is most acute; industry employs 24.3% of workers, and service sector employs 14.2%. As the economy is now growing at a healthy annual rate of around 6%, the demand for workers will grow in the industrial and service sectors, which required multi dimensional skills. Needless to say that TVET could perhaps offer the most appropriate level of skills for timely and sustained supply of trained and skilled manpower to domestic industries as well as helping the labour markets abroad.
Third, there is a demographic compulsion, which justifies TVET. Bangladesh has to create 2 million jobs annually to employ the incoming labour force every year. Currently Bangladesh can create jobs for only 1 million people, including around quarter million jobs created overseas every year. That means that around 1 million young people remain in the labour force without any job or employment. According to several estimates, by 2020, labor force will go to 100 million from its present size of roughly 54 million. Given a saturated agriculture sector, industry must create 16 million jobs by 2020 - a 5.5 percent annual increase. The largest portion of the new jobs will have to come mainly from the manufacturing and service sectors including trade, construction, transportation and communication.
IMPORTANCE OFIMPROVING TVET CURRICULUMIN BANGLADESH
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Further, vocational education is considered helpful in developing what can be termed as 'skill-culture' and attitude towards manual work, in contrast to pure academic culture and preference for white collar jobs.
Understanding the importance of TVET, the government has initiated two specific initiatives. One is the one-job-per-family project; the other is providing a much-need revamp of the country's Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system. The TVET reform project has come up with a National Skills Development Policy that encompasses restructuring of the existing TVET institutions, upgrading skills of teachers and managers of these institutions and curriculum up gradation to bring these up to speed with the efficiency requirements of today. But perhaps the uniqueness lies in a totally new approach to make available basic skills training in rural areas which encourages self-employment that is rewarding and gainful especially among the physically challenged and the less privileged section of the society.
The new policy seeks to embrace all existing platforms of training and empowerment including streamlining efforts of different ministries, private initiatives as well as that of NGOs. The framework has been established. However, the challenge now lies in ensuring that a smooth, transparent and accountable mechanism is in place to implement the elements so as to obtain the desired results. I believe, this conference will also shed some light on this issue.
Let me conclude by saying that the government is firmly committed to dissolve the disparity between the educational system and the labor market through the development of a proper TVET system that is easily accessible, affordable and relevant to labor demand needs. While the government has the important role of designing a strategy in this area, private sector enterprises have to be heavily involved in the identification process of labor demand needs and delivery programs. In conclusion, I would once again like to thank BEI for organizing this much-needed event and giving me an opportunity to speak on this very important subject and I look forward to receiving the outcome of this workshop.
Thank you.
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the major responsibility in curriculum updating. Several problems make the process practically
ineffective. There is no research unit at BTEB and hence they can hardly conduct any local or global needs
assessment or carrying out any research on the changing patterns of TVET. They do not have adequate
manpower, or any system to ensure quality of student performance, among others. As a result,
curriculum development remains trapped in an outdated mode with attendant negative consequences.
Policy Framework
In recent years, several policy documents of the government have dwelt on the issue of skills
development and TVET in Bangladesh. The National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction (FY 2009-
2011) set the target of raising the enrolment of students in TVET to 20%; currently it is roughly 7% of total
student body at SSC and HSC level. It also envisaged creation of TVET opportunities for those who could
not complete grade VIII education, which is a basic requirement for admission in the TVET stream under
the existing system and making TVET curriculum, duration and schedule flexible. It was also proposed to
facilitate creation of self employment to TVET trainees by offering them easy credit.
The Skills Development Policy of 2009 also suggested creation of full scope of pre-employment and
livelihood skills training, including TVET and apprenticeships; education and training for employed
workers, including workplace training; and employment oriented and job-related short courses, for both
domestic and international markets. It also aimed at enhancing individuals' employability (wage/ self
employment) and ability to adapt to changing technologies and labour market demands; improving the
productivity and profitability of enterprises; and strengthening national competitiveness and reducing
poverty.
The National Education Policy of 2010 envisaged the following: Introduction of Pre-TVET courses from
grade VI; setting up of Technical school in each Upazila; introduction of flexible courses from drop outs
and older students, offering Grade-I skill certificates to those who would leave school after Grade-VIII;
encourage private sector to set up of TVET institutions; update curriculum, and inclusion of courses
relevant to job markets overseas including foreign languages.
Missing Links
Yet several handicaps limit the prospect of full utilization of benefits from TVET in Bangladesh. One of
them is the conceptual confusion. Three issues are relevant here. First, education is fast becoming global;
national curriculum is losing value. More so with TVET system, which has to evolve with the changing
demands of labour market. TVET education in Bangladesh therefore has to be brought in line with global
developments and standards. Second, education in general, including TVET has moved from process
orientation to outcome orientation. In Bangladesh, TVET system remains largely process oriented. Third,
existing curriculum is largely traditional and insular in nature. It does not also cover the needs of major
sectors of evolving economy.
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Fourth, skills mismatch is adding another layer of complexity to this challenge. Academic institutions do
not produce graduates with new skills, which employers want. BANBEIS survey of 2008 indicates that the
number of school children in age group of 11-15 is 17.2 million. Among them, only 7.50 million go to
secondary school, 9.45 million do not go to school rendering the net enrolment rate at 45.09%.
Secondary school completion rate is just 38.62%; 61.38% do drop out, and most of them go for the job
market. Another BANBEIS report of 2006 identified 50% drop out starts at primary level, 80% at the end
of grade X and 94% drop out after failure in SSC examination. The big question is what future holds for
these drop outs? One argument is that that perhaps could turn them into entrepreneurs if they had some
exposure to TVET.
Fifth, skills demand is fast changing from fixed knowledge to variable knowledge. A worker now needs to
have analytical and critical thinking skills, in addition to technical skills, among others.
Sixth, demographic changes are creating openings in global labour market for semi skilled and skilled
labour from Bangladesh. Increasing overseas employment and the possible market for skilled Bangladeshi
workers abroad also offer some justification for investing in the system of TVET. Exploring global labour
market is a necessity for Bangladesh given its economic constraints. Remittance from 7 million expatriate
workers now contributes $10 billion a year to our exchequer.
Existing TVET Curriculum
Under the existing curriculum Bangladesh Technical Education Board (BTEB) offers following courses
at secondary and higher secondary level:
-5 X4 year courses in 39 trade areas
-1 X 3 year course in 7 technology areas
-9X 2 year courses in 64 health and trade areas
-8X 1 year course in 90 trade areas
-6 months X 2 in 2 automobile and business areas.
These courses are run through 4525 Vocational Training Institutes, roughly 10% of them are operating
under public sector and 90% are working under private management. Currently, the focus of curriculum is
to impart technical knowledge to students mainly subjects, such as Engineering and Electronics,
Agriculture, Animal Health and Trade subjects. Business Management was added in 1995 at higher
secondary level. Recently government has upgrade Textile College in Tejgaon to the University level.
In terms of responsibility, BTEB is responsible for curriculum development and implementation. Ministry
of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment and Ministry of Youth also have some responsibility for
curriculum development in their skills training and skills development programmes. A look at the
curriculum development at BTEB clearly reveals that the process of curriculum development is at best
weak; its interactions with stakeholders are often sporadic and largely bureaucratic in nature. Although
some consultations occasionally take place with outside entities, BTEB Curriculum Directorate shoulders
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Mainstreaming of TVET courses at post primary level should be implemented as soon as
possible.
The general and vocational curricula should be more integrated. Greater blending of contents,
bringing more vocational content into the general curriculum and more general academic
subjects (science, mathematics, language) into the vocational curriculum could be explored
more vigorously.
Botswana, Ghana, and Kenya have done it successfully. Chile has moved vocational education to
high school and increased the academic content of vocational education to a third of the total
teaching time.
Modular and flexible format could be developed for non-institutional candidates to expand
outreach of TVET. Mexico has developed an innovative education model for out-of-school
individuals 15 or older to complete the equivalent of primary, lower secondary, or upper
secondary education. Pakistan and Senegal have provided second-chance learning opportunities
for out-of-school youth who lack the basic skills for work and life.
This is most relevant for countries with significant numbers of young people who never went to
school or dropped out before completing primary school.
Special courses could be included on Entrepreneurship development in TVET programmes.
Build up on best practices on TVET, both at home and abroad.
Administration of TVET:
BTEB should be strengthened, and decentralized for effective functioning. Skills Development
policy also concurs with the idea that BTEB will establish a regional presence to improve their
inspection and monitoring of public and private training organizations. Several ideas can be
explored:
The Board of BTEB may be restructured to include additional representatives from industry,
professional bodies, civil society and other key government Ministries so the operational
autonomy of BTEB is strengthened.
Policy Initiatives
National Training Authority could be created with PPP participation to coordinate development
of curriculum, coordinate training among Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth and Social
Welfare, Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment, and to develop certification
procedure in accordance with global standards and do the monitoring of the system of TVET.
South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania and Ghana have done it. Ghana has recently
established a Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET)
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) could be explored in TVET for a range of areas, such as
developing public policies, working out funding systems, developing curriculum frameworks.
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Despite recent efforts to update TVET curriculum in Bangladesh, current curriculum does not also offer
courses for developing entrepreneurial skills among the youth. Nor does the current curriculum allow
significantly development of skills, in terms of creating employability, improving productivity of industry
and raising national competitiveness and alleviating poverty.
The TVET Curriculum also lacks connection to larger world. TVET outreach is modest and it suffers from
serious perception deficit. As of 2009, only 7.8% of secondary school students appeared in vocational and
technical education under SSC examinations. TVET curriculum lacks creativity, and does not effectively
incorporate new set of skills, such as, team building, problem solving, thinking strategically,
communications skills, entrepreneurship, multicultural interactions and foreign languages. In addition,
there exists practically no partnership with the industry or stakeholders in curriculum development and
its implementation.
What is New?
Yet, several initiatives have been undertaken to improve TVET in Bangladesh Donors have funded three
ongoing projects: TVET Reform Project (EC-ILO), Skills Development Project (ADB-SDC), Skill and Training
Enhancement-STEP (World Bank).
Under these projects, efforts have been made to develop competence based TVET in Bangladesh. Already
piloting has started in 12 TVET institutions from 01 January 2011. Arrangement is being worked out to
acknowledge prior learning of potential TVET student and the process of National Technical and
Vocational Qualifications Framework (NTVQF) is almost complete. The current projects also emphasize on
development of community based training programmes for the backward communities, and handicapped
persons etc.
Way Forward?
Where does TVET in Bangladesh go from here? Several ideas can be considered.
Updating the TVET curriculum
Link could be established with the market demand for recasting curriculum. Employers should
be consulted extensively on curriculum development under an institutional arrangement with
BTEB. UCEP, which does it every six months, could be a good example to follow. Skills
Development Policy 0f 2009 suggests that BTEB should involve Ministry of Labour and
Employment (MOLE) and other key line Ministries in the review and development of new skill
standards and curriculum. TVET curriculum could be re-oriented toward sustainability while
maintaining the principles of the 6Rs: Reduce, Re-use, Re-new, Re-cycle, Repair and Re-think
perspectives.
M. Humayun Kabir
Paper prepared for presentation at the Workshop on Entrepreneurship and Public Private Partnership in the Technical and
Vocational Education Training (TVET) Sector in Bangladesh, which was jointly hosted by the British Council and Bangladesh
Enterprise Institute on 15-16 January 2011.
*M. Humayun Kabir, former Ambassador and Secretary to the Government and a former Lecturer in Dhaka University, is Vice
President of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute.
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1.0 Introduction
With an incredible population of 160 million barely accommodated in a merely 54 thousand square miles
of land space, Bangladesh has marked its name as the most populous country of the world. Statistics
suggests that, if the current global population of 6.6 billion starts living in the United States of America,
the population density would not exceed that of Bangladesh. It's a very distressing fact. Bangladesh,
devoid of significant natural resources, and a scarce food supply chain, is struggling to feed an ever
increasing population. Moreover, the country is subject to repeated natural calamities and disasters.
Misrule and corruption has only deteriorated the scenario. No wonder, the country is one of the poorest
in the world.
The huge population, much higher than what the country can feed or accommodate, is the number one
national problem for decades all together. These people are mostly uneducated and unskilled. They are
burden to themselves, their families and the larger society. They are simply on the liability side of the
national accounting or macro balance sheet. This huge population can be turned from liability to asset
side through education and training. They can be hopes, not despair, useful rather than useless, resources
not burden, if we can properly train and educate them. The huge population can be number one national
resource, if proper planning regarding human resource development is made and implemented.
Having an alarming school drop-out rate and much less than adequate educational institutes, vocational
training is the way out for Bangladesh. Even with current level of skill some 10 million Bangladeshis living
and working abroad. They are the second largest foreign exchange earner of the country, next to the
RMG Sector. Last year these Bangladeshis have pumped some 11 billion US Dollar to the country.
Statistics suggest that while an average Sri Lankan earns 3000 dollars a month abroad, an Indian earns
typically a figure of 2000 dollars, while a Bangladeshi earns merely 1000 dollars. Hence, it is estimated
that the foreign exchange earning can be made just double without increasing the current number of
people working abroad, if they are given semi-skill training.
2.0 The Present Scenario of TVET in Bangladesh
The need for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) has been long felt in the country and
some initiatives had been taken in the past by the Government. There are 51 Vocational Training
Institutes (VTI's) and 13 Technical Training Centers (TTC's) in Bangladesh in the public sector. The 13 TTC's
and 1 Bangladesh Institute of Marine Technology (BIMT) produce annually about 7,000 highly skilled
technicians on different trades, suitable for overseas employment.
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Such collaboration could take place at many levels, including the macro (policy) level, the meso
(sector) level, and the micro (enterprise) level.
One could look at the possibility of selectively open the education market for foreign investment
and participation with particular focus on TVET. For example, Training and Further Education
(TAFE) of Australia supports many countries in upgrading their TVET infrastructure on PPP/donor
collaboration basis. Bangladesh could benefit from building cooperation with them to update
TVET infrastructure in Bangladesh.
Conclusion
TVET is Bangladesh is passing through a transition phase. Although some changes are looming on the
horizon, something more than the institutional arrangement is required for allowing the process to
mature and be effective in delivering results. Political commitment is a critical element and it should be
more pronounced in support of TVET.
At the systemic level, a new and dynamic approach is required to upgrade TVET in Bangladesh based on
full assessment of the local and global evolution in skills development and TVET, and full participation of
all sectors of economy. Commitment made in the Education Policy 2010 on TVET should be implemented
through PPP on a priority basis. TVET should be integrated with general education and national technical
qualifications should be developed without any delay. Share of TVET in Education budget should be
enhanced along with effective monitoring mechanism in place to review progress of this sector under the
National Training Authority. It could be helpful if participation of foreign TVET institutions could also be
allowed in a suitable manner to provide comparable set of benchmark of quality and standard.
References
1. Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics, National Education Survey (Post
Primary) 2008.
2. International Labour Organization, Bangladesh Skills Development Policy 2010-2015.
3. Ministry of Education, Government of Bangladesh, National Education Policy-2010.
4. Ministry of Education, Government of Bangladesh, National Skills Development Policy 2009.
5. Ministry of Finance, Government of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Economic Review, 2010
6. Ministry of Labour and Manpower, Labour Survey 2009.
7. Planning Commission, Government of Bangladesh, "Steps towards Change: National Strategy for
Accelerated Poverty Reduction II (Revised) FY 2009-11 December 2009.
8. Technical and Vocational Education Week 2010 (in Bangla), Ministry of Education, Directorate of
Technical Education and Technical Education Board, 20-26 June, 2010.
9. World Bank, Bangladesh Vocational Education and Training: An Assessment, 2006.
10. World Bank, World Development Report, 2007.
1Kamrul Hassan
TVET: OUR HOPEAND ROAD TO PROSPERITY
1Kamrul Hassan is an Assistant Professor at East West University(EWU), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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TVET students shall comprise 20% of all secondary students (currently it is 3%);
Enrolment in TVET should increase by 50%; and that
Women's enrolment should increase by 60%.
4.0 Barriers to Quality in Education in Bangladesh
Traditionally the quality of education in the Indian sub-continent was commendable maintaining an
acceptable level of standard. However, since the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, the quality of
education - both general and technical - has deteriorated considerably. There are many barriers to quality
education in Bangladesh. A UNDP review of post-primary education highlighted the following barriers to
quality in education in Bangladesh (World Bank, 1999):
Inadequate professional preparation of teachers in both subject matter and teaching methods;
Lack of academic supervision;
Inadequate attention to research;
Lack of teacher and institutional accountability; and
Insufficient and unsuitable textbooks.
Bangladesh Education Sector Review 2000 (World Bank, 2000) elaborated that the main problem with
skills training in the formal and non-formal sector of TVET is lack of linkages to employers and the job
markets. Employers complain that training programs do not produce the skills they require. They typically
do not participate in determining contents of training programs. Courses tend to be offered in response
to social demands, not based on labour market surveys and analysis. Labour market information is not
collected systematically. There is no adequate database for labour market analysis, policy formulation,
and research in TVET. Employers complain that the government is unable to change curricula quickly to
keep up with technological changes in enterprises.
A research study conducted by Khanam & Shamsuddoha (2003) identified the following problems of
developing human resources in Bangladesh:
Lack of Government Initiative. While the government says it supports human resource development it
does not provide adequate funding. There is no nation-wide research regarding the quantity and quality
of HRD programs.
Lack of infrastructure. While educational institutions may offer strong programming to develop valuable
and salable skills, they lack the facilities to deliver these programmes in an efficient and effective manner.
Lack of Quality. The quality of these institutions is very uneven. Some do not provide quality teachers,
materials or other resources needed for students to succeed. The government is casual in its oversight of
programs.
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Since mid 90s, to promote vocational education alongside general education, at secondary level, S.S.C.
(Vocational) Course has been introduced in a number of non government secondary schools, funded
entirely by government's own resources in the absence of necessary donor support. Different studies
indicate that the programme enjoyed considerable support at local level, as people think that exposure to
vocational education would contribute to generating interest in manual work besides acquisition of
higher levels of skill. There however exists serious reservation about whether the above programme
would at all be able to contribute to producing skills employable in industries particularly in the absence
of adequately skilled instructors at the school level and curriculum acceptable to employers, and lack of
necessary training materials.
3.0 Government's TVET Policies and Strategies
The focuses of the government on education as enunciated in different policies and Five Year Plan
documents are (National Education Report, 2004):
Providing value based education
Emphasis on job-oriented and need-based education
Modernization of curricula
Ensuring efficient management at all level
Strengthening the Information and Communication Technology
Ensuring teacher effectiveness at all levels
Revitalizing technical and vocational education
Ensuring gender parity at all levels of education
The government has expressed in its new education policy that in an era characterized by the challenge
of rapid technological change, globalization, economic uncertainty and diminishing resources there is no
alternative to education and training that comply with modern and international standards. Therefore,
TVET has been assigned high priority in its current national education policy (2009). Meeting national
demand the country can increase its foreign exchange earnings by exporting its skilled manpower since
there is a demand of skilled manpower in international job markets. Therefore, the government aims to
train the country's huge workforce considering national and international job market requirements.
Furthermore, it is planning to introduce a modern apprenticeship training program in the country
(National Education Policy 2009).
In the meantime, the government, together with assistance from international donor community, is
preparing the National Skills Development Policy, including National Technical & Vocational Qualifications
Framework (NTVQF), as key commitments to the strengthening and further growth of skills development
in Bangladesh. The government has already made commitments in Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
(PRSP) II to the effect that
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While there must be a check on population growth, the existing population has to be trained in semi-or-
full skill trades enabling them to be self-employed within or outside the country. As the country does not
generate enough number of employments within its boundaries, the only future route to economic
emancipation for our people is to seek employment outside the country. They are doing it in an
unplanned way resulting in only export of unskilled manpower to foreign lands who are taking jobs which
are lowest in the earning ladder, i.e., manual and menial works. The recruiting agencies are giving them
some training which are need based and good for survival, but not adequate for taking better-pay jobs.
Besides job-related skills, language and communication skill plays a very vital role for getting jobs, survival
and delivering jobs. As English is the International language of today, lack of proficiency in English is
deterring them from getting access to better jobs.
Public-Private Partnership is the key to make vocational training made widespread and available to
remotest corners of the country. Manpower recruiting agencies do provide some skill based training on a
need basis and employment type, but this is neither adequate nor structured. The present curricula for
various trades are neither adequate nor relevant to the job market. The main challenge for the skill
development system is to overcome inadequate orientation to the labor market. Formal providers of
technical and vocational education and training do not have strong linkages with the private sector
employers that drive the changing patterns of labor demand, nor do they have proper incentives to build
those connections, which would ensure that skill development courses are relevant and useful to both
graduates and employers.
Motivation plays a very big role in attracting learners and their retention in trade schools. One of the
reasons of high drop-out rate is the failure to see by the learners the future prospect of such training.
Hence a linkage between training and employment is essential for the success and continuity of TEVT.
It has been observed by foreign employers that Bangladeshi workers are loyal, disciplined and
hardworking. They have the rare quality of adapting to new situation and job environments. These
characteristics, a docile nature and low expectations resulting in lower bargaining power, have made
them attractive to foreign recruiters. We can tap this advantage and go for up-selling to prospective
employers by adding skills to our aspiring workers.
The economic emancipation of future Bangladesh lies on a number of factors of which Technical and
Vocational Education and Training (TVET) would play a key role because of huge population growth and
the demand for educated and skilled manpower is increasing. Careful centralized planning and building
valued based partnership with the private sector would see a tremendous growth in TVET and help a
society under poverty turn to a society of prosperity.
6.0 Recommendations:
Based on the observation and inferences drawn, a number of recommendations can be made for
improving TVET in Bangladesh and ensure employment and economic emancipation for the people.
16
Lack of Co-ordination. Human resource development activities are not well coordinated. There is no
coordination among the primary, secondary, and tertiary education systems. The quality, syllabus
structure, teaching methodologies, styles, and facilities for the same courses or topics differ from
institution to institution.
Lack of investment. Both the government and private sector provide few resources for HRD in
Bangladesh. HRD programs are handicapped by the scarcity of funds.
Lack of trained instructors. Experienced, efficient, and trained instructors or teachers are a rarity in
Bangladesh. In addition the lack of funding makes it difficult to hire qualified instructors.
Lack of Facilities. Technologies to support learning (Multi media, OHP, Internet, Computerized programs,
and other audiovisual devices) are almost absent in Bangladesh. This lack of facilities constrains the
development of HRD programs.
Lack of Communication. The teacher student communication, particularly out of classroom/routine
lecture, is seldom. This is mainly because teachers at public institutions are not checked for their
accountability. There are no teachers' performance assessment, HRD programs monitoring and
evaluation systems in Bangladesh. Hence there is little opportunity to make improvements to the
programs.
Improper Licensing. Government has approved so many institutions for human resource development
without any given directives or guidelines. This lack of standards allows opportunities for running
fraudulent programs.
Particularly in the TVET sub-sector, there are further problems such as insufficient student competencies
(key or basic competences) at entry-level (input stage), the TVET curricula are not modern and effective2
enough, lack of devoted instructors, extremely insufficient instructors, insufficient laboratory equipment;
insufficient (in some cases, not at all) self-learning facilities at training institutes (for example using
information and communication technology (ICT), institute library and laboratory resources), inferior
quality of instruction (curriculum delivery), inefficient usage of industrial attachment periods. However,
the competencies of polytechnic graduates have been deteriorating due to many reasons for long. The
graduates are hardly able to secure jobs in their relevant fields in national and international job markets.
Keeping the above long list of drawbacks in mind, the planners of HR development in Bangladesh can
design TVET programs that are free of those shortcomings and the weaknesses can be turned into
strengths. Market opportunities for technical education and vocational graduates are excellent and the
associated risks are low, hence the prospect of TVET is bright in Bangladesh.
5.0 Conclusion:
Bangladesh can no longer bear the load of its mammoth population. She is tottering under the heavy
burden of 160 million people, most of who are non-productive and are dependent on others for a living.
The British Council, Dhaka, in collaboration with the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, Bangladesh, implemented a two-day workshop on 'Entrepreneurship and Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Sector in Bangladesh' in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This workshop aimed to generate a greater level awareness and to sensitise different stakeholders on the issues relating to linkages between Entrepreneurship and Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Sector. In addition to that, the workshop will also focus on the PPP which could play a vital role in fostering the growth of enterprises and social enterprises and TVET sector in Bangladesh.
Expected Outcomes:
Following outcomes well expected upon completion of the workshop:
The presentation of the three keynote papers by the leaders in these fields;
In depth discussions on the keynote papers;
A group discussion with the participants, comprised of different stakeholders, through brainstorming sessions to identify the final set of recommendations on the matters concerned.
Keynote presentations from the Conference
The Keynote presentations were entitled:
The Importance of improving Technical and Vocational Training and Skills Development through Public Private Partnership (PPP) in Bangladesh;
A PPP model for skills development in Bangladesh
The importance of improving TVET curriculum in Bangladesh
BRAC Enterprises & Social Entrepreneurship: "A unique model of sustainable business that defines Corporate Social Responsibility"
Overall the Keynote presentations covered:
The Aims of TVET in Bangladesh;
The context for Bangladesh;
Factors of Inadequate Success;
Bangladesh's Vision for Skills Development;
18 19
The faculty and staff in NHTTI are dedicated to providing first-rate schooling that signs in strong basic knowledge for sound practice in Hotel and tourism for the well being of industry. We offer a diverse curriculum that look after creative thinking and prepare trainees for productive and rewarding careers.
The institute is a pivot for the development of hotel & tourism industry and has played a significant role in fulfilling the increasing demand of the trained manpower. In pursuing this aim it has been involved in a 3 year cultural exchange programme with Dundee College in the UK and has learn much about international standard curricula and teaching standards which it is now implementing throughout its own courses.
The NHTTI has the following stated objectives
To produce trained personnel required for the hotel, travel agency and other related sector
To upgrade the slandered of the already employed personnel by providing them with the opportunities of in-service training.
To develop efficiency of the employees working in different areas by conducting on-the-job training, refresher course, and on the spot mobile training.
To design and implement special modular course particularly for untrained but employed personnel working in various hotel & tourism sectors.
To provide the technical knowledge and skill needed by well-qualified young persons to start on the management ladder.
It clearly has the potential to live with other TVET institutions of its kind due to the fact that all of its staff are fully trained and its courses are all integrated with English, ICT and work based learning. However without direct government subsidy and a quality assurance framework it and its entire staff struggle to maintain the standards it has set.
In the workshop these themes were further explored.
All delegates were asked "what one thing would they like to see happen for the Bangladesh TVET system that they feel would improve it."
The responses are reflected below.
More skills institutions.
Further training of the trainers.
Improved coordination between the various agencies, departments and institutions.
Integrated rather than disparate initiatives.
Decentralisation of the responsibilities for TVET.
The raising of the TVET profile.
Closer cooperation between the different stakeholders.
Increased accountability for outcomes.
Awareness building of good practice and initiatives.
More private sector stakeholders.
20 21
Further research of the Labour Market.
Further dissemination of current initiatives
Continuous training of trainers.
Confidence building and soft skills within the skills curricula.
Labour law as part of the curriculum.
Mechanisms to redeploy student that drop out.
The marketing of TVET and its advantages to all members of families including parents.
Government subsidies for students.
Innovative training processes that include those with disabilities.
English integrated into curricula.
Compulsory computer literacy.
Business skills such as customer service, selling and service provision as part of relevant curricula.
It is clear that there is quite a passion for the development of relevant TVET in Bangladesh but the
resounding message was:
IMPLEMENTATION!
IMPLEMENTATION!
IMPLEMENTATION!
Possible solutions
Current work
It was noted that Bangladesh was coming from a low base in terms of dealing with its TVET issues.
However there were already 2 TVET Reform Project run by the International Labour Organisation and
sponsored by the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Union that had been
working on:
Developing Skills Councils in 8 industries;
Mixed membership on Sector Councils;
2 Centres of Excellence in Leather goods and food production;
A National Skills Strategy;
Developing workplace learning and productivity;
Creating greater representation of the private sector on the BTEB Board;
A Quality Framework and Quality Manuals for TVET institutions;
Some skills agreements.
22
Introduction of monitoring, evaluation and feedback mechanisms.
The development of career pathways.
Digitised delivery mechanisms.
Improved quality of TVET.
An independent commission responsible for TVET development.
International benchmarking.
A mechanism for bring TVET and industry together.
Lowering the TVET entry levels.
Incentives for young people including meal provision.
Further research of the Labour Market.
Further dissemination of current initiatives
Continuous training of trainers.
Confidence building and soft skills within the skills curricula.
Labour law as part of the curriculum.
Mechanisms to redeploy student that drop out.
The marketing of TVET and its advantages to all members of families including parents.
Government subsidies for students.
Innovative training processes that include those with disabilities.
English integrated into curricula.
Compulsory computer literacy.
Business skills such as customer service, selling and service provision as part of relevant curricula.
The raising of the TVET profile.
Closer cooperation between the different stakeholders.
Increased accountability for outcomes.
Awareness building of good practice and initiatives.
More private sector stakeholders.
Introduction of monitoring, evaluation and feedback mechanisms.
The development of career pathways.
Digitised delivery mechanisms.
Improved quality of TVET.
An independent commission responsible for TVET development.
International benchmarking.
A mechanism for bring TVET and industry together.
Lowering the TVET entry levels.
Incentives for young people including meal provision.
23
Many advocated Training needs analyses for individuals to determine the need for sector specific
training and enterprise training for the entry into business or becoming an entrepreneur.
Institutional Quality
It was noted that there were a number of types and levels of provision based on social and financial
conditions of the students and institutions. This would mean finding a unique standard may be difficult.
However it was realized that a minimum requirement in programmes and training for enterprise and
employment could be set around the integration of English, Information Technology and science in
curriculum. These could also be used as a pre-requisite for student progression.
While it was noted that a Quality Framework would be piloted in 2011, there was skepticism about
whether this would be implemented fully - especially amongst the private institutions. It was suggested
that any government funding and the license to operate should be tied into the adherence to this
Framework.
Disability
It was advocated that TVET must become innovative and develop programmes and modes of delivery
that were inclusive to all in society, especially those with disabilities. It was noted that nearly 10% of the
population had some form of disability and that specific skills and the ability to develop enterprise and
small businesses may be a good way forward for this group.
Skills for Entrepreneurship
There is no single, definitive list of skills required by entrepreneurs, however for business development
there is a range of tasks that need to be addressed. These lead to the following recommendations.
Recommendations for developing entrepreneurs
The recommendations fall into four key areas :
Stimulating demand amongst entrepreneurs;
Enabling entrepreneurs to assess priority development needs;
Sign-posting entrepreneurs to potential solutions;
Using a range of different approaches;
Making it happen.
24
Also it was noted that Bangladesh had low unemployment and was a high growth country. It was stated
that BTEB was responsible for the development of the National Qualifications Framework and
Qualification reform with Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Employment support. It was suggested that
a "cluster ministry" concept could be developed and adopted that would create a cross ministerial
responsibility for TVET and skills to stop the passing on of responsibility and the lack of continuity in
policy and direction.
This highlighted the need for improved dissemination and communication of current initiatives and their
impact on entrepreneurship and business.
It was considered an imperative that the private sector takes some ownership in these developments
for there to be tangible change in the TVET system, skills outcomes and entrepreneurial and business
improvement.
Funding
Also a Skills Development Fund has already been developed which outlines a funding mechanism for
TVET, however it is crucial that a concept be developed and made to work to gain private investment in
the skills system. This was the BIG ISSUE for TVET as it was agreed that it was not simply government's
responsibility to support TVET but also the end beneficiaries - the private sector. It was suggested that the
government adopt a levy system whereby business should be taxed for training but regain this money
through the subsidised training of its staff.
It was noted that funding through projects was currently being put to good use, however this and further
funds would only be forthcoming if tangible outcomes were able to be evidenced. This would mean
actual evidence of private sector involvement, sustainable TVET programmes and the stimulation of
employment and enterprise.
This raised the question of who would take forward work on TVET and for small businesses when
projects, and importantly, project funding was finished. It was suggested that many of the possible
solutions could be developed from specific projects however the question was raised as to whether
government and the private sector would be willing to fund and maintain sector councils and other
bodies responsible for the implementation of solutions after these projects and initial outcomes were
complete.
It was suggested that pre vocational components and the option of entrepreneurship may be
productive ways forward for students who had dropped out of the TVET system.
It was felt that BTEB should be responsible for a Sector Skills Agreement, however if this was to have an
effect on entrepreneurship and business there needed to be a much greater representation from the
private sector on the BTEB Board. It was noted that there have been a number of high level agreements
in the past that have not been carried through. It was agreed that it is imperative that this change as
entrepreneurs and the private sector need to see change happen on ground level to gain confidence in
the TVET system.
25
Skills for Social Enterprise
Here there is the need to develop personal entrepreneurial skills and the capacity to:
build the entrepreneurial organisation;
cope with business development processes;
manage stakeholder relationships;
behave in a moral, ethical and social manner;
earn to learn in an 'enterprising' manner.
To finalise this report it should simply be reiterated that it is clear that there is quite a passion for the
development of relevant TVET in Bangladesh but the resounding message is:
IMPLEMENTATION!
IMPLEMENTATION!
IMPLEMENTATION!
26
17
There must be a census of all school drop-outs and they should be traced for bringing them back to trade schools.
Public-Private Partnership has to be strengthened and brought under a regulatory body for making vocational training structured, standard and available to students across the country. This would definitely benefit the employers as well as the country in terms of higher productivity, lesser wastage and lower employee turnover.
Besides skill based training, foreign going workers should be trained on Basic English for essential communication and survival in a foreign land. English will also enhance the employability and create opportunity to better paid jobs.
Incentives from the government and recruiting agencies in the form of mid-day meals and pocket allowances may be provided to retain students coming from abject poverty level to trade schools. Such incentives will act as a future investment on human resources both by the prospective employers and the nation.
Curricula for each trade should be developed for making skill based training structured and relevant to the job market. Donor agencies can contribute to such process through technical assistance and support programs.
A linkage between trade schools and employers should be established for motivating learners. This linkage is essential for economically backward and highly deprived group of students for whom immediate employment is a necessity and whose aspiration of a better life is bleak.
Government should take initiative to explore scopes for non-formal, low-skill based, traditional jobs like farming and fishery in foreign countries like Australia, Canada. Malaysia etc where Bangladesh has a plenty of supply of workers who have learnt the trade from their ancestors.
The existing VTIs and TTCs should be reformed to make them dynamic, market-driven and customer responsive. These well established physical facilities can be rented during off-peak hours to similar private institutes for fuller utilization of spaces and facilities. A renovation of training facilities, particularly workshops and laboratories with up-to-date equipment is necessary.
27 28 29 30 31 32
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Current Skills developments and structures;
Curriculum now and in the future;
Skills Development Policy 2010-15;
Current problems;
Ways forward;
The raison d'être of BRAC Social Enterprises;
Success for Social Enterprises.
Emerging themes
It was agreed that there is a global market for products and services therefore there must be a global market for the manpower and skills that deliver these products and services. Therefore while Bangladesh's strength was the volume of its population, the global market is for skills and skilled workers. Therefore to optimise the potential of the people the TVET system in Bangladesh must offer skills which are at least on a par with those of other developing countries.
It was agreed that skills were closely tied to economic growth and as this was now a worldwide phenomena, it was clear that the higher the skills level the higher the potential affect on remittances and Gross Domestic Product for Bangladesh.
It was noted that Bangladesh had, by the calculation of the World Bank, under-employment of over 28%. Also currently, of all those employed 42% were self-employed. Therefore in order for the skilled workers potential to be effected it was agreed that a model was required to develop Public Private Partnership for enterprise so that small businesses could lead the way in affecting growth at home.
However before Bangladesh could begin to become a player on the international stage in terms of giving its people the best chances of employment at home and abroad it would have to develop a skills system that had credibility and value to its people and to international partners. This would mean a quality assurance process for TVET institutions that covered:
Curriculum content;
Delivery mechanisms;
Teaching quality;
Assessment and certification;
Institutional excellence.
It was emphasised that competition on a global stage would also require the delivery of up to date business and enterprise skills that could be used on that stage- and this would require wider spread working use of English.
Good Practice
It should also be noted that the National Hotel & Tourism Training Institute (NHTTI), the public TVET institution for Hospitality and Tourism is aimed at supporting and developing the hotel industry and other tourism related sectors by producing trained manpower ever needed to elevate the existing standard.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP (PPP)IN THE TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION TRAINING (TVET)SECTOR IN BANGLADESH
WORKSHOPFURTHER THOUGHTS AND FUTURE ACTIONS
Effective Learning for entrepreneurs
1. The effectiveness of learning, training and development material for the use of owner managers will be
more effective the more they replicate the informal, experiential learning styles that small business
personnel prefer.
2. The effectiveness of learning, training and development material for use in the small firms
environment will be more effective the more they are based on active learning.
3. An action learning approach is more effective than more passive alternatives in the development of
learning for owner-managers, as the learning process is part of the actual business start up and
operations. This suggests that any usable qualification should be able to be used as part of the business
start up process and delivery should lead to actions.
4. More effective learning occurs in enterprise if the learning is directed at solving problems for the
business.
5. Learning materials are more effective if they are in plain language as owner managers come from a
variety of academic and experiential backgrounds and start businesses accordingly across all sectors.
Entrepreneurial Skills Needs
There is no single, definitive list of skills required by owner-managers, however the main activities, and a
selection of elements within each of these, are as follows:
Check your own skills;
Getting more sales;
Getting new customers;
Getting the directions and controls right;
Getting premises, equipment and materials;
Getting the most from IT;
Getting the most from your money;
Delegating and managing your time;
Getting the right people;
Getting more from staff and contractors;
Health and safety.
Business Start Up Skills
Check how successful your business idea will be.
Check your ability to run the business.
Check what law and other regulations will affect your business.
Work out what money you need to start the business and keep it running.
Develop the plan for your business.
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