Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon has said the government is keen to increase investment in the education sector, particularly in science, innovation, research and development.
He called on research institutions and relevant organisations to come forward and play a greater role in advancing these sectors.
The minister made the remarks while addressing a conference titled “Chemical Innovation for Future Challenges”, organised by the Bangladesh Chemical Society at the Nawab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building of the University of Dhaka.
Ehsanul Haque Milon said around Tk 5,000 crore had been allocated under the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project, implemented under the University Grants Commission (UGC). Various research and development projects were also underway across the country.
He reiterated that the government wanted to invest more in science and technology, innovation and research.
Highlighting the potential of Bangladesh’s human resources, the education minister said the country’s students and researchers had the capabilities to compete at the international level.
He noted that 23 scientists from the University of Dhaka had recently been included in the list of the world’s top two per cent of scientists, describing the achievement as a matter of national pride.
He further stressed the need to transform human resources from an untapped asset into a productive and tangible national resource. In this regard, the government was also placing greater emphasis on increasing investment in technical education.
Referring to the use of plant-fibre-based clothing and the need for research into the diversified applications of jute, the minister said jute fibre was an extremely valuable resource. However, Bangladesh had yet to make the expected progress in expanding its applications and diversifying jute-based products.
He said research should be intensified to develop innovative products using jute fibre. There was also significant potential to expand the use of environmentally friendly and biodegradable jute bags.
The minister said the government had taken an initiative to provide uniforms to primary school students across the country from early 2027. The government was also considering providing jute-made bags to students for carrying their books and other educational materials.
Referring to the recently announced Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination results, he said the pass rate this year stood at 52 per cent, which was below expectations.
Following the re-scrutiny of examination answer scripts, the grades of around 45,000 students had so far been revised. Of them, approximately 5,000 students who had initially failed were declared successful after re-evaluation, while around 3,790 students received improved grade point averages (GPAs).
The education minister said the authorities would investigate the irregularities and errors behind the discrepancies. Re-examinations for students who failed in one or two subjects would also be held soon.
Addressing students, Ehsanul Haque Milon said Bangladesh had 57 public and 116 private universities, offering a combined capacity of approximately 1.5 million seats, compared with around 550,000 students who had passed the examinations.
Therefore, he said, students had little reason to be overly anxious about securing university admission.
University of Dhaka Vice-Chancellor Professor A B M Obaidul Islam addressed the event as the chief patron.
The conference was chaired by Dr Md. Emran Kayyum, President of the Bangladesh Chemical Society.
Among others, the event was addressed by Dr A K M Lutfor Rahman, General Secretary of the society; Professor Almozzadedi Alfeasani, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) of the University of Dhaka; and Professor Zainal Abedin Siddique, Vice-Chancellor of Rangamati Science and Technology University.
