Home Minister Emphasizes Vocational Education

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed stated that vocational training or technical education must be prioritized to transform the country's vast population into a skilled workforce. At the same time, he opined that the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) needs to be turned into one of the most crucial government agencies for policymaking based on accurate information.

Mentioning the need to give maximum priority to agriculture and remittance sectors to strengthen the economic foundation of the country, the Minister said, "Bangladesh is still standing on agriculture and farmers. Therefore, we must build an 'Agro-industry' based on our agriculture, fisheries, and livestock sectors. Along with this, the government is also thinking about reactivating the Family Planning Department to control the country's growing birth rate."

On July 19, Sunday morning, the Minister gave these suggestions at the inauguration ceremony of a four-day workshop titled "Efficient, People-friendly, and Accountable Public Administration: Strategy to Implement Government Commitments" organized by the BCS Administration Academy at its auditorium in Shahbagh, the capital, on the occasion of 'National Public Service Day-2026'.

In his speech as the chief guest, Salahuddin Ahmed said, "Civil service is the main driving force of the state. Coming out of the administrative politicization of the past 17 years, public administration must be transformed into the true servant of the people. The public has high expectations from the current government, and transparency and accountability must be ensured at every level of administration to meet them. To fulfill public expectations, government officials and employees must perform their duties with patriotism, honesty, and professionalism, remaining completely free from political bias."

The Minister added, "There is no justification for formulating programs only for formal workshops or high-level attention unless it brings real benefits to the people. You are one of the most privileged parts of this society. Therefore, instead of considering yourselves rulers, you must dedicate yourselves to public service as servants of the people." Emphasizing the radical reform of the statistical system for the sake of formulating proper policies in the country, he said, "During the past regime, all statistics of the country were destroyed for political purposes. Misleading information was served everywhere—whether it was census, agricultural production, or per capita income.

To formulate correct policies, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) needs to be transformed into the most important ministry or agency." The Home Minister stated, "Policies are basically formulated at the higher level of the government and in the light of the political mandate. The job of the bureaucracy is to determine programs, formulate projects in light of that policy, and properly implement the projects through IMED supervision. No activities can be run outside the rules. Your core responsibility is to implement, in accordance with the rules, the election manifesto and 31-point commitment of the elected government, upon which the people gave their mandate."

Presided over by Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Md. Ehsanul Haque, Rector (Secretary) of the BCS Administration Academy Mohammad Altaf-ul-Alam spoke as the special guest at the event. Additional Secretary (CPT) of the Ministry of Public Administration Mohammad Monirul Islam delivered the welcome speech as the keynote speaker.
//DBTech/FH/SME//