Agri ministry recommends separate higher edu inst for agri diploma students
Agriculture ministry has sent a letter to the Ministry of Education, requesting the establishment of a separate higher educational institution for students holding agricultural diplomas, modeled after Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology (DUET), or an institution capable of awarding bachelor's degrees in agriculture.
The letter was sent on 17 April to Siddiqur Zobair, senior secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division.
Students from the 18 agricultural training institutes under the agriculture ministry recently launched an eight-point movement. On 21 April, they carried out an "agri blockade" programme in Khamarbari, Dhaka. One of their key demands was the creation of opportunities for higher education for diploma agriculturists.
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Agriculture Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Mohammad Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, who was present there, assured them that their demands would be addressed, following which the students temporarily suspended their movement.
According to the letter, there are currently 18 government-run and 164 private agricultural training institutes in the country, all offering a four-year diploma course in agriculture. Every year, around 2,500 students graduate from government institutes and a similar number from private ones.
However, there is no separate higher educational institution for these diploma graduates to pursue further studies. While graduates from polytechnic institutes can pursue higher education at institutions like DUET in Gazipur, there is no similar higher education facility for talented and interested agricultural diploma holders.
In this context, the agriculture ministry requested to take necessary steps to establish either a separate institution modeled after DUET or a higher education institution that can award bachelor's degrees in agriculture.
The Secondary and Higher Education Division of the education ministry has decided to review the matter, additional secretary (Universities) of the division, Nurun Akhter, told TBS on Wednesday.
An official from the division stated that establishing such an institution requires cabinet approval and the formulation of a new law. The education ministry will now submit a proposal to the government. If the government grants the approval, a draft ordinance will be prepared and sent to the advisory council.
The official also noted that once the ordinance is passed, a detailed process must be followed, including land acquisition and recruitment of personnel.
