Digital Drive in Rangpur: ICT to Train 100,000 Students
The ICT Division has announced plans to provide hands-on digital skills training to 100,000 students across the country, with trainers reaching participants in their homes through mobile ICT labs. As part of the initiative, Rangpur has been given priority due to the region’s longstanding lag caused by past political cultures.
The announcement came on Wednesday, September 3, during the virtual inauguration of a training program on computer fundamentals and digital marketing for the “July Warriors,” held at the regional office of the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) in Rangpur. The program was inaugurated by Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant in charge of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology on behalf of the Chief Adviser.
He said, “If we fail to acquire knowledge about AI and generated AI, we will fall behind both nationally and internationally. To face this challenge, the ICT Division will provide digital skill development training to 100,000 students. We want to make this training time-befitting by taking feedback from the trainees.”
Paying tribute to Rangpur’s sacrifices, he added, “I respectfully recall the sacrifices of the people of Rangpur. That is why we started this training program from Rangpur.”
Taiyeb further noted, “Rangpur has lagged behind due to the political culture of the past. Therefore, along with defining the ICT roadmap for the region, we are considering working with Begum Rokeya University to advance its technological development.”
Explaining the structure of the program, he said, “We have started the training with the July Warriors while also launching a pilot project. In the first phase, there will be 42 hours of ICT training in schools and colleges. Based on the learning outcomes, advanced training will be offered in the second phase, and gradually madrasa institutions will also be included.”
He added that under the EDGE project, 10 Research and Innovation Centers (RIC) labs are being set up in 10 public universities, giving students opportunities for advanced research.
ICT Division Secretary Shish Hayder Chowdhury, who presided over the event, said, “On the anniversary of the July uprising, under the guidance of Special Assistant Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, we launched this training program from the land of Shaheed Abu Sayeed. It has been organized to connect the July Warriors with the dream of digital transformation.”
Representing the trainees, Md. Roni Mia, Chief Coordinator of the Martyrs and Injured Cell of Rangpur Division, requested the Special Assistant to provide long-term ICT training for the July Warriors along with computers for each participant.
The seven-day ICT training program, organized by the BCC for July Warriors in Rangpur Division, is training 20 participants in computer fundamentals and 20 in digital marketing in the first phase, with plans to expand nationwide.
Earlier, from August 16, 2025, a month-long training program was completed with 160 students of Gorosthan Jamia Islamia Darus-Sunnah Madrasa in Tangail. In subsequent phases, a total of 740 madrasa students from Chattogram, Cumilla, and Tangail districts will be trained under the program.
