Shamsul Alam, Bangladesh’s Minister of State for Planning, said he was in favor of visa-free travel for students from the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN), as the country neighbor is striving to be free from illiteracy by 2041. During the farewell session of the two-day conclave “Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence” here, the Bangladeshi economist also mentioned that his country will be “free from hunger” by 2041.
“Let’s open doors in countries for students. I am not talking about government centers or scholarship programs. I am also talking about the private sector,” Alam said.
Alam noted that the South Asia region does not have a visa-free regime like that of the European Union, where no visa is required to visit a country that is part of the bloc. “But for students, we can have free access to educational institutes. Let students go freely for education as well as tourism. We can start with BBIN countries,” Alam added.
According to Alam, Bangladesh has about 50 public universities and 108 private universities. Its literacy rate has risen from 43% in 2005-2006 to 73%, while life expectancy has risen from 65 to 75 ten years ago. The minister further affirmed that Bangladesh will enter the league of prosperous or developed nations with a per capita income of $16,400 by 2041.
“The country’s current per capita income is $2,824. We need skilled labor to face the forthcoming fourth industrial revolution. We have already created a great educational infrastructure,” Alam said.
With entries from PTI.
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