Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury has emphasised that general education is no longer sufficient to meet modern demands, calling for a shift towards technical expertise to address the global shortage of skilled workers.
Choudhury, also the expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment minister, made the remark while speaking as the chief guest at regional phase of the “Skills and Innovation Competition” held on Friday at the Sylhet Polytechnic Institute premises
The minister noted that while there is a vast demand for skilled manpower worldwide, Bangladesh is currently unable to supply it due to a lack of technical proficiency among its workforces.
He urged students to prioritise technical education to become skilled professionals, reminding the audience of the Prime Minister’s election manifesto promise to create employment for 10 million people.
The regional event was organised by the Accelerating and Strengthening Skills for Economic Transformation (ASSET) project under the Directorate of Technical Education, aimed at fostering the innovative potential of technical students.
Out of 42 projects presented by students from 14 technical institutions across the Sylhet region, three were selected for the upcoming national-level competition in Dhaka.
The winning innovations are – “Smart Home Eco System” (Sylhet Polytechnic Institute), “Face Detector” (Moulvibazar Polytechnic Institute), and the “Smoke and Fume Controlling Welding Helmet” (Habiganj Government Technical School and College).
Speaking as special guest, Technical and Madrasah Education Division Secretary Md Daud Miah remarked that technical education is no longer merely an alternative stream and urged all stakeholders to work with sincerity for its expansion.
He encouraged students to adopt the motto, “One goal, must be skilled.”
The programme was chaired by Divisional Commissioner of Sylhet Khan Md Reza-un-Nabi, Project Director (Additional Secretary) of the ASSET Project Samsur Rahman Khan, delivering the welcome address.
Engineer Rabindranath Mahato, Deputy Project Director of the ASSET project, presented a keynote paper during the event.
Other guests in attendance included Mohammad Rihan Uddin, Principal of Sylhet Polytechnic Institute; Mifta Siddiqui, Assistant Organising Secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Central Executive Committee; and Emdad Hossain Chowdhury, General Secretary of Sylhet City BNP.
The competition featured a colourful rally, a seminar on the importance of technical education, and an award ceremony.
This follows an institutional round held on 27 September 2025, where approximately 10,000 students from 211 institutions presented 3,209 projects. The national final is scheduled for next month in Dhaka, featuring around 50 projects selected from eight regions.
