Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed development planners to bring private university education under strict monitoring in a bid to ensure quality education.
Sources also quoted the premier as urging planners to increase investment in education research to enhance the sector.
Hasina’s directives came as General Economic Division Member Prof Shamsul Alam yesterday made a powerpoint presentation on the newly drafted seventh five-year plan at the Planning Commission.
Under the five-year plan, which is expected to be implemented from the next fiscal year, the government will aim to attain an 8% economic growth over the following five years.
“The prime minister wants to see the reflection of the Awami Leagues’ election manifesto,” said an official who was at yesterday’s programme. Hasina also called for a strategy that would allow the country to export skilled manpower, he added.
The General Economic Division under the Planning Commission is projecting to annually export four lakh skilled and semi-skilled manpower by 2020.
According to the draft seventh five-year plan, around 36 lakh jobs will be created in home and abroad by the end of the ongoing fiscal year and 40 lakh jobs by FY2019-20.
Emphasising the need to set a greater priority for the agriculture sector, the prime minister also called for a plan that would ensure growth of the food-processing industry.
According to the draft five-year plan, Bangladesh will require Tk31.9 trillion worth of investment to implement the plan and boost the economic growth.
Of the required fund, around Tk29 trillion or 90% is projected to come from domestic resources while the rest would come from external resources.
The government earlier framed the Perspective Plan 2010-2021 targeting double digit growth by 2021. As per the plan, the government prepared the sixth five-year plan which ended last fiscal year.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury and high officials of the commission also attended yesterday’s meeting.