President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday urged public and private universities to produce skilled and competent human resources in line with the demands of domestic and international job markets.
He made the call when a delegation led by Southeast University Board of Trustees Chairman Rezaul Karim paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban. The university's Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr Yusuf Mahbubul Islam, was also present.
The President said the primary objective of public and private universities should be to develop a skilled workforce equipped for employment in the country.
To achieve this goal, he stressed the need to adopt a holistic approach to higher education so that universities can produce graduates capable of meeting the needs of both domestic and international labour markets, ensuring that no one remains unemployed.
He also urged private universities to waive tuition fees for meritorious students from underprivileged backgrounds.
The President observed that various industries, factories, corporate bodies, specialised institutions and even private organisations in Bangladesh had to recruit employees from abroad despite the presence of a large number of unemployed university graduates in the country.
Against this backdrop, he emphasised the need for universities to provide modern, high-quality education in technical, engineering and technology-related fields.
He also advised industrial and corporate organisations to arrange appropriate training programmes to develop a competent and job-ready workforce.
The chairman of the Board of Trustees briefed the President on the university's overall academic activities. He said the university is trying to operate largely as a charitable and non-profit educational institution.
The university provides tuition fee waivers and scholarships worth an average of around Tk 32 crore annually to meritorious students, financially disadvantaged students and those covered by special quotas, he added.
The chairman also invited the President to attend the university's upcoming convocation ceremony.
The President accepted the invitation and assured the delegation of his presence at the event.