€87,500 goes down the drain after Bangladesh misses Lyon skills competition
Worldskills International said in an email that the money, sent in advance, had already been spent on hotel, food and transportation. Therefore, even if Bangladesh did not participate, there was no scope of getting the money back.
Bangladesh is set to face a loss of €87,500 (equivalent to Tk1.15 crore), paid in advance for participating in a global skills competition in France, as the 23-member delegation missed the programme due to the government changeover.
The National Skills Development Authority made an advance payment for the accommodation and local travel expenses for the delegation, including eight contestants and seven experts, for WorldSkills Lyon 2024 scheduled to take place from 5 to 15 September in Lyon, France.
The tour was approved by the Prime Minister's Office under then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, and an official order was issued on 31 July. Following this, the delegation members applied for visas, according to sources at the Skills Development Authority.
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However, after the fall of the Hasina government on 5 August, the Chief Adviser's Office of the interim government instructed that necessary steps be taken to recover the advance payment without sending the delegation.
In response, the Skills Development Authority emailed the competition organisers, requesting a refund of the advance payment. The authority also informed the CA's office in writing.
The WorldSkills Lyon organisers have stated that the funds sent by Bangladesh have been used for hotel accommodation, food, and transportation. As a result, even if Bangladesh does not participate in the competition, the money cannot be refunded.
In a return email on the same day, WorldSkills International said, "Unfortunately, WSL2024 cannot refund any money as they have already spent it. Our policies ensure there is no profit made on packages, and each member pays for the products and services they use.
"Because we are already seven days before the opening ceremony, WSL2024 has paid all subcontractors for all the accommodation, transport, food and beverages, etc. for your delegation. Unfortunately, it is not refundable at all-the subcontractors would not allow cancellation at this stage."
The Business Standard has obtained copies of both letters.
Nasreen Afroz, executive chairman who signed the letter, could not be reached by phone for comments.
According to the letter, €87,500 was transferred from the revenue sector to the designated bank account of WorldSkills through the Bangladesh Bank on 16 April.
As per the package policy of WSL2024, the country paid the package price before the tournament began. However, the deadline for sending advance payments was 6 June. According to the organiser's policy, no refunds are given for package cancellations.
After the fall of the Hasina government, the National Skills Development Authority submitted a proposal to the Chief Adviser's Office on 22 August, requesting the reissuance of the government order in light of the situation.
In response, the Chief Adviser's Office instructed the National Skills Development Authority to cancel the government order issued during Sheikh Hasina's regime and take necessary steps to recover the advance payment.
On 2 September, the Skills Development Authority sent an official email seeking a refund of the advance payment sent to WorldSkills International.
The email cited the non-participation of the Bangladesh delegation in WSL2024 as directed by the Chief Adviser's Office and referenced the overall situation, including recent severe floods in Bangladesh.
It may be recalled that in 2017, Bangladesh became the 79th member of WorldSkills International. The country participated in the WorldSkills Competition in Kazan, Russia, in 2019, and again in Switzerland and Finland in 2022.
