Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir has said the government will set up several artificial intelligence (AI) training centres in Sylhet to equip young people with skills in AI and information technology-based work.
"We will start this initiative in Sylhet and gradually expand it to other districts of the division. This will prepare the new generation of young men and women for freelancing and the international IT sector, while also increasing opportunities to earn foreign currency for the country," the minister made the remarks on Tuesday while addressing a freshers' reception and farewell programme of the Dhaka University unit of the Jalalabad Chhatra Kalyan Samity at the TSC auditorium of Dhaka University.
"We will begin in Sylhet and then take it to other districts of the division. We will set up several AI training centres here," Muktadir said.
Pointing to the vast potential of freelancing in the country, particularly in Sylhet, he said many young people are currently earning anywhere between $500 and $5,000 a month, while some top-tier freelancers earn far more.
The training programme aims to spread this potential among the new generation, the minister said, adding that AI training must take a new group of young people to a level where they can earn on their own.
Through freelancing and IT-based work, they can bring in foreign currency and attract IT-related work from overseas firms to Bangladesh, he added.
Stressing the need for investment in education, health and research, Muktadir said development is an integrated process. Countries that have advanced sustainably, he noted, made their key investments in health, education, and research and innovation.
He said Bangladesh has to tackle fundamental challenges in education and health before it can reach the stage of adequate investment in research.
Without long-term and consistent investment in these two sectors, he said, skilled human resources and sustainable economic progress are not possible.
Speaking about the government's target of raising investment in the two sectors, the minister said the Prime Minister identified education and health as two priority areas after the present government took office.
He said the government aims to gradually increase budgetary allocations so that each sector receives an amount equivalent to 5 percent of GDP.
However, describing it as a long-term goal, he said reaching that level is not easy and a long way remains to be covered.
Muktadir also expressed concern over the state of education in the Sylhet region, saying the division lags behind in divisional literacy rates and various education indicators.
He said the region's position is below expectations compared with the national average in both urban and rural areas, and it also trails in the number of schools, pass rates, quality of primary education, and students' reading and numeracy skills.
The minister, however, said this is not due to any lack of talent or capability among the people of Sylhet.
A large number of people from the region have established notable positions in education, politics, business and various other professions in the UK, North America and other countries, he said.
Causes of the region's educational backwardness, therefore, must be sought in infrastructure, institutional capacity, leadership and other structural limitations, he added.
Underscoring the vital role of higher education in building a knowledge-based society and a prosperous future, Muktadir said students should not confine university life to earning degrees, but prepare themselves as skilled human resources capable of leadership, research, innovation and nation-building.
Addressing the freshers, he urged them to make the most of university opportunities and acquire skills that will enable them to contribute effectively to society and the country as well as themselves.
He also called on outgoing students to work with integrity, responsibility and a spirit of service to the nation in their professional lives.
Praising the activities of the Jalalabad Chhatra Kalyan Samity, the minister said the organisation can serve as a "beacon of light" in keeping the people of the Sylhet division living in Dhaka united and in advancing Sylhet.
He urged current and former students to strengthen mutual communication and cooperation to that end.
At the programme, newly admitted students from three districts of the Sylhet division at Dhaka University were welcomed with flowers, while high-achieving students who successfully completed their university life were given farewell receptions.