President calls on universities to develop students into skilled workforce

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has called on public and private universities to educate their students properly in a bid to help develop a skilled and capable workforce in line with the demands of domestic and international job markets.

He made the call on Saturday when a delegation led by Rezaul Karim, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Southeast University, paid a courtesy visit to the President at Bangabhaban. Professor Dr Yusuf Mahbubul Islam, vice-chancellor of Southeast University, was also present.

The president said the primary objective of public and private universities should be to develop a skilled workforce equipped with the necessary job skills in the country.

To achieve this goal, he said, the higher education system must be structured through a coordinated and holistic approach so that it can produce skilled workers suited to both domestic and international labour markets, ensuring that no one remains unemployed.

The president also urged private universities to waive tuition fees for poor and meritorious students.

He further noted that various industries, factories, corporate organisations, specialised institutions, and even private organisations in Bangladesh have to recruit workers from abroad to meet their needs, despite the country having a large number of unemployed graduates.

Against this backdrop, he stressed the importance of providing modern, high-quality education in technical, engineering, and technology-related fields at universities. He also advised industrial and corporate organisations to provide appropriate training to develop competent and job-ready employees.

During the meeting, the chairman of the board of trustees briefed the President on the university's overall academic activities.

He said the university was striving to operate largely as a charitable and non-profit educational institution. Each year, the university provides tuition fee waivers and scholarships worth an average of approximately Tk32 crore to meritorious students, financially disadvantaged students, and those covered by special quotas.

The chairman of the board of trustees also formally invited the president to attend the university's upcoming convocation ceremony. The president accepted the invitation and assured the delegation that he would attend the event.

Among others present at the meeting were the president's military secretary, press secretary, secretary of the university's board of trustees, members of the board of trustees, the pro-vice-chancellor, the registrar, and advisers to the university.