Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has instructed taking urgent measures to stop skill development training and certificate forgery to maintain the image of Bangladesh’s labor force in the global market.
He gave this directive at the second meeting of the Governing Body of the National Skill Development Authority (NSDA), held on Sunday (February 8) at the Chief Adviser’s Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka.
Dr. Yunus stated that if Bangladeshi workers lose trust abroad due to fake certificates, all initiatives for skill development will be futile.
In his presidential address, the Chief Adviser said that despite the high demand for Bangladeshi workers in the global market, Bangladesh’s reputation is being damaged due to certificate forgery and fraud. If employers lose trust even once, it will be difficult for us to move forward.
Emphasizing the creation of a strong brand image for the country, he said that international employers should be able to confidently say that workers from Bangladesh will undoubtedly be qualified and skilled. He expressed hope that NSDA’s initiative to introduce a unified standard certificate system would play a highly effective role in resolving this problem.
The meeting decided to establish an integrated skill ecosystem, under which a common curriculum and standards would be ensured for training programs conducted by various government ministries. It was noted at the meeting that once fully implemented, this system would enhance the credibility of Bangladeshi certificates in the international market and reduce wastage of public funds. Furthermore, it would facilitate the implementation of centrally strong development plans by accurately assessing the actual demand for workers in the industrial sector.
Several long-term goals for NSDA were approved to address global challenges post-LDC graduation. These include conducting skill gap analyses in emerging sectors and bringing the large workforce in the informal sector under the national certification framework through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
Among those present at the meeting were Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (Retd.) M. Sakhawat Hossain, Industries Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan, and Executive Chairman of BIDA Chowdhury Ashiq Mahmud Bin Harun, along with other high-ranking officials.