Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Saturday said the government is keen to increase investment in the education sector, particularly in science, innovation, research and development.
“Research institutions and related organizations will have to come forward in this regard,” he said while addressing a conference titled "Chemical Innovation for Future Challenge" organized by Bangladesh Chemical Society at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Building of Dhaka University.
Mentioning that around Tk 5,000 crore has been allocated for the HEAT project under the University Grants Commission (UGC), he said various research and development projects are underway in the country and the government wants to invest more in science and technology, innovation and research.
Highlighting the potential of Bangladesh's human resources, Milon said the country's students and researchers have the capacity to compete at the international level. Recently, 23 scientists from the University of Dhaka have been included in the list of the world's top 2 percent scientists. This is a matter of pride for the country, he said.
However, human resources must not be kept merely as an invisible asset, and they have to be turned into productive and visible assets. For this reason, the government is also laying emphasis on increasing investment in technical education, he added.
Referring to the use of garments made from plant fibre and the need for research on the diversified use of jute, he said jute fibre is extremely important.
Yet Bangladesh has not made the expected progress in the diversified use of this resource and in increasing the variety of jute products, he said, highlighting that research must be increased to develop new products from jute fibre.
He noted that there is also scope to increase the use of eco-friendly and biodegradable jute bags.
The minister said an initiative has been taken to provide uniforms to primary school students across the country from the beginning of 2027. The government also has a plan to provide jute bags to students for carrying books and exercise books.