Society, economy and administration all over the world are now dependent on technology. In particular, data storage and management is becoming one of the main components of the global economy. Bangladeshi freelancers are also getting the opportunity to earn income using information technology at home. Automatic intelligence and artificial intelligence have started to be used somewhere in our country. That means gradually everything is becoming technology dependent in a country like ours. That is why there is a need to make our education system more science and technology enabled. Institutional and non-institutional initiatives to give importance to science education in the education system are being noticed more than ever. Most of the young people who are going to study abroad from our country these days are entering science and technology based education. Because the education system of the world has been transformed that way. And this transformation of education is a reflection of the massive transformation of world economy and society.
It is in such an overall context that the trend of modernization and technology dependence of Bangladesh's education system deserves to be analyzed. Especially during the covid era, the use of information technology in our education system has increased, but the remnants still remain. But now we are back to face-to-face teaching. However, online classes are still available in some places. Arguably, the potential of blended education is now being considered more and more. But not everyone is getting equal opportunities like during Covid. Not all classrooms and students have devices. That is why there is a need for new investment in the entire education system to provide opportunities for science and technology practice among all. It is in this reality that the policy makers of Bangladesh have brought forward the concept of Smart Bangladesh. It is to be noted that in the opening speech of 'Digital Bangladesh Day' in December last year, Prime Minister Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina said, 'Digital Bangladesh is now a reality. Building a smart Bangladesh and a smart nation is our next goal. There is no alternative to the use of cutting-edge technology to achieve the goal of building a smart Bangladesh.... The government wants to make Bangladesh economically prosperous by ensuring the maximum use of digital technologies including artificial intelligence, internet, virtual reality, augmented reality, robotics and big-data.'' It is as if he has outlined the roadmap for realizing macroeconomic potential. In keeping with the whole world, he spoke about the beginning of this new journey. There is no denying that Bangladesh's society and economy have also changed. is changing Soon, Bangladesh is going to enter the ranks of underdeveloped and developing countries. Ahead is the national goal of becoming a developed country by 2041. Therefore, there is really no alternative to creating the basis of a modern technology-based economy.
It is true that unskilled migrant workers and garment exports still play a vital role in our overall economy. But the need for more creative and skilled manpower to enter the next phase of macroeconomic progress cannot be denied. In this case, expansion of ICT-based industrial service export can be a proper way. According to the projection of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), by 2025, we can earn 5 billion US dollars from the IT sector. And by 2031, this amount is very likely to reach 20 billion US dollars. Needless to say, if these possibilities can be realized, it will be much easier to achieve macroeconomic goals such as dollar income or diversification of exports as well as increasing investment flows and job creation.
The immense potential of Bangladesh in the IT sector is well known. In terms of average age of the workforce, we are far ahead of other comparable countries. The United Nations estimates that in 2021, 55 percent of our total population will be 'working age population' i.e. people of suitable age to engage in the labor market. Their projection is that by 2030, this ratio will increase by another two points to 57 percent. But to transform this population into manpower in real sense, they need to be provided with up-to-date science education and training. Digitization of education system is also needed to create human resources suitable for use of digital technology. Especially during the Corona period, we felt the need for digitization of the teaching system more. At that time, as it was not possible for the students to physically attend the educational institutions, there was some benefit as the government and private parties used various digital technologies to provide distance learning. But it was not possible for everyone to enjoy the benefits of distance learning equally. Because less than 40 percent of people in the country have internet access. According to a survey, only 45 percent of university level students had a suitable internet connection.
As it turns out, we still have a lot of room for improvement in digitalization in education. However, the experience we have already gained from various government and private initiatives seems to be particularly helpful. The government's ICT Ministry and international development partners are working on multiple learning platforms with telecom companies. In addition, our multiple learning platforms in the individual sector can be said to have been raised to international standards. Hence the importance of digitization of teaching method to us
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