Govt to allocate 5pc of GDP for educationt: UGC member

The government has decided to allocate 5 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to education and human resource development, Professor Masuma Habib, a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC), has said.

“The current government has given the highest priority to the education sector. For the first time, a government has decided to allocate 5 per cent of GDP to education and human resource development,” she said.

She made the remarks as the chief guest at the closing ceremony of a basic training course for officials from public universities at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) on Wednesday.

The 30th basic training course was held at the classroom of the university’s Graduate Training Institute (GTI), funded by the UGC and organised by the institute.

Habib praised the GTI for its contributions to training teachers, officers and employees. She recalled that the institute received a gold medal in 1981 in recognition of its outstanding work.

She also said a foundation training programme for public university teachers was launched in 2007, receiving appreciation from the then UGC chairman, who had pledged continued funding for the institute.

Regarding plans to introduce third-language education, Habib said the programme would begin at 50 public universities by December. She added that education and human resource development had received significant emphasis in the government’s election manifesto.

According to the GTI, the 25-day training course began on September 20, with 25 officials from 25 public universities participating. The programme covered various areas aimed at improving their professional knowledge, skills and efficiency.

BAU Vice-Chancellor Professor Md Rafiqul Islam Sardar said that although 59 public universities had been approved in the country, the institute could not yet include officials from all of them in its training programmes.

He urged participants to apply the knowledge and skills gained through the training in their respective workplaces and contribute to university administration and policymaking.

The closing ceremony was chaired by GTI Director Professor Bentul Mawa. BAU Student Affairs Adviser Professor GM Mujibur Rahman and Registrar Dr Md Helal Uddin, among others, attended the event.

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