Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon has expressed optimism that the longstanding friendly relations and cooperation between Bangladesh and Japan will expand further in the coming years.
The minister made the remarks during a meeting with a special delegation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at his office at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
During the meeting, Milon said the government is working on a new curriculum aimed at reducing the gap between educational institutions and industry. He also stressed the importance of introducing third-language learning to help students develop skills, with Japanese identified as an important option.
The minister said the government, following the directives of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, is giving the highest priority to improving the quality of education. He mentioned initiatives including the free distribution of school uniforms and the introduction of mid-day meals.
Milon also highlighted the need to modernise technical education institutions and expand cooperation with JICA in areas such as technical education, research and higher education.
Prime Minister’s Adviser for Education Mahdi Amin said language learning could play an important role in strengthening people-to-people relations between Bangladesh and Japan. He added that Japan could contribute to the development of technical education and teacher training.
The JICA delegation, led by Mochizuki Hiroshi, Director of the Human Development Department at JICA headquarters, attended the meeting along with senior officials from Bangladesh’s education sector.
