Bangladesh and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the ‘China-Bangladesh Vocational Education, Training and Research Center’ to strengthen cooperation in technical and vocational education, skills development and research.
The MoU was signed at the ‘China-Bangladesh Education Exchange Conference’, organised by the Jiangxi Provincial Government and Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University of China.
Technical and Madrasa Education Division Secretary Md Daud Mia signed the MoU on behalf of Bangladesh, while Professor Zheng Pengwu of Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University signed on behalf of China.
Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon and Prime Minister’s Adviser on Education Dr Mahdi Amin were present at the conference.
Three major cooperation platforms were also formally inaugurated during the event.
Education Minister Milon and Deputy Director of the Jiangxi Provincial Department of Education Fan Honghui jointly inaugurated the ‘China-Bangladesh Vocational Teacher Training Center’.
Mahdi Amin and Professor Pei Hongwei of Jiangxi Science and Technology Normal University inaugurated the ‘Bangladesh Vocational Education Research Center’, while Secretary Daud Mia and Professor Zheng Pengwu inaugurated the ‘Bangladesh Chinese Language Skill Development Center’.
Addressing the conference, the education minister said Bangladesh’s young population is one of the country’s greatest strengths and that quality technical education and modern technological training could help transform them into a world-class skilled workforce.
He said China’s experience and technical assistance could help Bangladesh’s education sector reach new heights.
“Technical and vocational education must remain closely aligned with the real needs of industry and employment,” he said.
The minister called for stronger Bangladesh-China cooperation in curriculum development, teacher training, institutional partnerships, modern technology, practical education and employment-oriented education.
Mahdi Amin said the signing of the MoU marked the beginning of a new chapter in Bangladesh-China cooperation in technical education.
“Our main objective is to transform education into skills, skills into employment, and employment into economic opportunities,” he said.
Representatives of 19 universities, technical institutions and industries from Jiangxi Province attended the conference, where both sides pledged to build a sustainable partnership through industry-education linkages, teacher training, joint research and student exchanges.
