Cross-sector collaboration crucial for ensuring technology-driven quality education: Stakeholders
Public-private partnerships are crucial for ensuring quality education in Bangladesh.
"Cross-Sector Collaboration: A Catalyst for Education Reform", roundtable was organised by CholPori, a digital learning and teaching platform, in collaboration with the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) at hotel lakeshore in Dhaka.
The conversation centred around strategic partnerships to improve access, quality, and sustainability in education.
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Zareen Mahmud Hosein
Founder & MD, CholPori
Bangladesh's education sector faces complex challenges requiring collaborative solutions. This roundtable engaged stakeholders in a meaningful dialogue about the opportunities and challenges of cross-sectoral collaboration. I hope for increased access to information, improved stakeholder coordination, and clear public-private partnership mechanisms.
Sadia Tasfina
Director of Learning & Development, CholPori
CholPori works with schools to help teachers deliver our multimedia content to improve academic outcomes and classroom engagement. We have seen significant improvement in both. By leveraging existing systems, this low-tech, high-impact approach can be scaled with systemic support.
Shamima Siddiky
Education Specialist, Unicef
Some of our current collaboration goals for education development include focusing on government initiatives, equipping the young population, upholding child rights, and incorporating critical thinking, SEL (social-emotional learning), and active participation.
Shereen Akhter
National Education Programme Officer, Unesco Bangladesh
Unesco works towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which is a commitment to provide quality education for everyone and promote lifelong learning. There is a need for clarity in objectives and policy.
David Knox
Director of Programmes, Bangladesh, British Council
For the British Council, we seek partnerships that build mutual benefits. We may not always be looking for the same things, but if there is a benefit for both partners, the partnership works. My second principle is that it must be locally needs-led. This is where research is critical – to form partnerships and design programmes. So, good research is essential.
There needs to be a question and agreement around: Why are we educating people? Plan your exit from the outset. Design your governance model for your partnerships and interventions from the beginning, because this will provide the principles by which you will manage.
Shipon Kumar Das
Project Director, LAISE, DSHE
Under the Learning Acceleration in Secondary Education (LAISE) project, we are working to improve teachers' capacity in grades 6-12 over the course of five years. We are involving NGOs and seeking other partnership opportunities. LAISE has been successful in creating valuable innovations. However, there is no collaboration framework for secondary education. If everyone gets involved, the work might progress faster.
Dr Dilruba Sultana
Senior Faculty Member, BRAC IED
Public-private partnership (PPP) is essential for the development of education. The scope of PPP has expanded in recent times. Sustaining efforts within the mainstream system is challenging. Bureaucratic procedures are complex and hinder project timelines.
Rubina Karim
Member of the Board of Trustees, Gulshan Literacy Programme (GLP) Foundation
The main stakeholder is the student. The 4Cs of the 21st century skills: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creative thinking. Teachers need support in their work. A small drop in the ocean can bring about change.
Rozina Rahman
Hathazari Upazila Education Officer
It is crucial to maintain public-private collaboration to ensure quality education. The government cannot carry the responsibility alone.
Mohammad Shah Alam
Managing Director, Sesame Workshop Bangladesh (Sisimpur)
Sisimpur is an expert in content creation and distribution. We are producing digital content, but is the country ready? The main problem is the lack of input – teachers are not equipped to operate the technologies. There is a stigma attached to technology, and parents are not ready to embrace digital content, focusing instead on traditional methods of studying. We must collaborate to address these issues and learn from each other.
Sharmine Mridha
Assistant Manager, PKSF
PKSF has successfully collaborated on various programmes for children and adolescents to eliminate poverty through employment generation programmes. We train adolescents in four areas: leadership, soft skills, awareness building. It has helped decrease the school dropout rate, as shown by research findings.
Reefat Bin Sattar
CD (Acting), Director of Programme Development and Quality, Save the Children
Education is a tool for human development. I would avoid calling it human capital. Children are not just economic beings; they are also social and political beings. Save the Children also believes that children are the main stakeholders, and they should have a significant stake in the process. The private sector is a strong partner, and the partnership should be mutually beneficial. We should define scale not only by breadth but also by depth.
Ahsan Mahmud
Advisor, ECD & IQE, Plan International Bangladesh
Children are at the centre of the conversation, and their needs should be identified as a major strategy. If we place children at the centre and define their needs, then whatever we design will bring together all sectors.
Syeda Afzalun Nessa
Head of Sustainability, HSBC
Every organisation has a strategy. For us, we have a philanthropy strategy with two pillars: one is the transition to net-zero, and the other is inclusivity and resilience. Our focus is on creating employment opportunities by providing future skills. Maintaining diversity is at the core of our support.
T M Asaduzzaman
Senior Education Specialist, South Asia Education Department, World Bank
The most common collaboration trends are teacher training and knowledge exchange programmes. The incentives for all partners need to be clear. Openness is crucial for collaboration. Involving the private sector is essential in the collaboration process. While training is the easy part, the private sector should play a key role in job creation. Collaboration depends on partnership and mindset, and mindset comes from finding solutions. Being solution-oriented is a key driver for successful collaboration.
Mohammad Golam Kibria
Team Leader and Education Adviser, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Education is a powerful driver of sustainable development. Education sustainability is critical, especially since 18% of the population is not attending school. It is also vital for children who drop out of school. Advancing policy is crucial for sustainability.
Munir M Merali
Diplomatic Representative, Bangladesh for the Aga Khan Development Network
There are four areas that came up repeatedly during the conversation. First, teachers – without qualified teachers, we cannot deliver quality education. Second, we should have a student-centred system. Third, policy. Fourth, resources. HSBC, the World Bank, and others need synchronised resource mobilisation strategies.
There are four key areas for collaboration – climate and sustainability, technology, teacher training, Public-Private Partnerships. The government does not have enough resources to do this alone.
Dr AQM Shafiul Azam
Director of Planning and Development, Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE)
Students today are reluctant to attend classes, so we need to make classrooms more engaging. Are we making education attractive enough for students to stay in the classroom? We must consider introducing technology and modernising our curriculum. The fundamental question is: why are we educating children? They are the main stakeholders.
Rasheda K Choudhury
Executive Director, CAMPE
These conversations are just the beginning – we must collaborate, coordinate, and cooperate. Traditional wisdom is valuable, and we should not forget it. Integrating it into the curriculum is equally important. We should also understand how to plan a design and consider exit tickets.
We must work together not only to expand access to technology and AI but also to tap into what a Māori leader referred to as "ancestral intelligence". Parents are among the most important stakeholders. If they are not motivated, other factors like curriculum, teachers, and resources may not be effective.
