Bangladesh’s education system is somehow failing to produce employable graduates while there is also a lack of managerial skills, said Brac University (BracU) Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Mohammad Tamim recently.
“The reason might be we are creating the soldiers but not generals”, he said on presenting certificates to 39 students who attained Post Graduate Diplomas in Knitwear Industry Management (PGDs-KIM).
BracU organised the presentation ceremony at Brac Centre Inn on Saturday, 30 November, 2019.
Dr Imran Matin, Executive Director of the Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), emphasised two factors. Firstly, the need of a wholesome industry approach in efforts to enrich skills for boosting productivity, especially the managerial one. Productivity, according to him, not only depends on top-notch individual skills but also on how well factories are organised and managed. The other factor is to develop relevant course content. The focus should be on research and evaluation to gain knowledge.
About the PGDs-KIM, he said it offered a great platform for experimental and longitudinal research on important questions. These questions are applicable to jobs and skills which need to be harnessed. The PGDs-KIM is being offered by the Executive Development Centre (EDC) established by the BIGDof BracUin March 2018. The target groups are mid-career knitwear industry managers and fresh graduates.
The founding of the EDC was supported by the Skills for Employment Investment Program (SEIP) of the Finance Division, Ministry of Finance, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The EDC targets to provide 450 PGDs-KIM degrees by 2021.
Jalal Ahmed, Executive Project Director of SEIP, said the PGDs-KIM is the highest level of training provided by the SEIP. It will foster links between academic institutions and the readymade garments sector.
The ceremony included a workshop showcasing generic and industry-specific courses of PGDs-KIM, industry attachment-internship and the EDC’s operations and management.
There was also a discussion among ABM Shajedur Rahman, COO of Epyllion Group, Brig Gen (retd) Aftab Uddin Ahmed, Director for Skills Development Program of BRAC, and Md Fazlul Bari, Deputy Executive Project Director of SEIP.
Asian Development Bank Consultant, Dr Zhigang Li and Masco Group Executive Director ATM Mahbubul Alam Milton also shared their thoughts.
Mohammed Walid Hossain, Assistant Executive Project Director of the SEIP, and Dr Md Shanawez Hossain, Director of the EDC, were present.