BNP senior leader Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan on Saturday stressed the need for turning the educated youth into a productive workforce, saying that no development plan can succeed without involving people in the country’s progress.
“Practical steps must be taken to prepare the educated population for productive employment. BNP has outlined a plan to provide technical and vocational education to one million young people and engage them in productive work,” he said.
Moyeen Khan, a BNP standing committee member, made the remarks while speaking at a seminar organised by the Education Reform Initiative (ERI) at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium.
He said 52 percent of Bangladesh’s population is young, placing the country in a highly advantageous position globally. “BNP will take all necessary measures to turn this young generation into a productive national resource.”
The BNP leader also emphasised that national development is not possible without a skilled workforce.
ERI President and former State Minister for Education Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon presented the keynote paper at the event.
In his presentation, Dr Milon said although 20 percent of Bangladesh’s youths are university graduates, only 16.8 percent have jobs, which is disappointing.
He mentioned that a UGC survey last year found that about one million young people enter the job market annually, but less than half manage to find employment.
Citing BMET data, Dr Milon said a similar situation exists among those seeking jobs abroad, as most are unskilled and end up doing low-paid, low-quality work.
According to BMET’s 2024 statistics, he said, about one in 10 lakh Bangladeshis go abroad for jobs each year, but most lack proper skills. “As a result, they earn low wages and are employed in lower-level jobs. Therefore, sustainable national development is not possible without a skilled population.”
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Sharing examples from other countries, Dr Milon said 60 percent of students in Germany receive vocational education and directly enter the job market.
“Malaysia provides technical and vocational education to two million young people every year. Under Singapore’s SkillsFuture program, everyone—regardless of age—receives digital skills training through policies linking education with industry. Vietnam has connected education with manufacturing, bringing its unemployment rate down to below 7 percent,” he said.
Noting that Bangladesh still lags behind in technical and vocational education, Dr Milon said the BNP has attached strong importance to expanding and improving this area to meet the needs of the time.