JICA project concludes to strengthen nursing education in Bangladesh
Bangladesh's nursing sector received a significant boost as a four-year, JICA-backed initiative concluded with a national stakeholder workshop in Dhaka on 2 June 2026. The project, organisers said, marks a major step forward in upgrading nursing education and clinical practice nationwide.
The Final Stakeholder Workshop of the Project for Capacity Building of Nursing Services Phase II (CBNS-II), supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), took place at the ATM Shamsul Haque Auditorium, CIRDAP, Dhaka.
The event marked the end of the four-year initiative, implemented from March 2022 to June 2026, to strengthen nursing education and clinical practice across Bangladesh.
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The workshop convened representatives from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Directorate General of Nursing and Midwifery (DGNM), the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council (BNMC), the Bangladesh Nursing Association (BNA), public nursing colleges, medical college hospitals, and development partners.
In close collaboration with these stakeholders, CBNS-II implemented practical measures to strengthen nursing education and clinical practice.
These measures included updating practical guidance manuals, developing 64 Master Trainers and 472 Clinical Nurse Teachers, and delivering faculty development and nursing management training.
The project also supported the accreditation of four nursing colleges and fostered institutional networking across eight public nursing colleges and their affiliated hospitals.
The workshop highlighted CBNS-II's key achievements and explored strategies to sustain and expand effective practices beyond the project period.
The CBNS model—a framework developed from project experience to drive ongoing improvement in nursing education and clinical practice—was presented as a blueprint for future implementation.
The model promotes cascade training, active learning, college–hospital collaboration, and mutual learning among institutions as replicable approaches for ongoing system strengthening.
Morikawa Yuko, Senior Representative of JICA, said, "The purpose of today's workshop is not only to highlight the achievements of the project, but also to facilitate meaningful discussions on how the initiative can be further strengthened, scaled up, and sustained in the future, as well as the role that various stakeholders can play in advancing these efforts. With the successful completion of CBNS-II, I am confident that the foundations established through the project will contribute to its continued success and long-term impact."
Participants discussed pathways to sustain and expand the project's effective approaches, including ongoing utilisation of trained personnel and the strengthening of institutional mechanisms.
The discussions underscored the importance of continued collaboration among government agencies, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, professional bodies, and development partners in supporting the Government of Bangladesh's future implementation efforts.
Md Nora Alam Siddiqui, Additional Secretary, Medical Education Division under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said, "I am delighted to witness the significant progress made in nursing education and clinical nursing practice. I firmly believe that if the achievements and best practices of the CBNS-II project are adopted and implemented across nursing colleges, hospitals, and healthcare facilities throughout the country, they will contribute substantially to improving the quality of healthcare services and generating broader benefits for the nation."
The workshop concluded with a shared commitment to advancing sustainable, institution-based approaches, including further strengthening and institutionalising the CBNS model and related capacity development mechanisms to support improved nursing education and clinical practice standards nationwide.
