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DHAKA: President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday stressed the need to improve textile education and research to produce internationally competitive engineers and specialists and reduce the industry’s dependence on foreign experts.
He made the remarks when a seven-member delegation led by Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX) Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Julhas Uddin paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban.
Sanjida Islam, a member of parliament from a reserved seat for women and a BUTEX alumna, was also present.
Describing textiles as one of Bangladesh’s major economic sectors, the President emphasised creating suitable employment opportunities at home and abroad for textile graduates.
Such opportunities would ensure the effective use of the country’s skilled human resources while helping earn foreign currency, he said.
The President also stressed the need to increase domestic cotton production to meet the raw material requirements of the textile industry. He called for initiatives to encourage farmers, reduce production costs and strengthen coordination between the agriculture and textile sectors.
He further called for more research into extracting fibres from natural sources, including jute, pineapple leaves and banana plants, alongside efforts to develop synthetic yarn.
During the meeting, the delegation briefed the President on BUTEX’s contributions to the development of Bangladesh’s textile and readymade garment industries, as well as its academic and research activities.
They highlighted several issues requiring attention, including infrastructure development, the establishment of modern laboratories, recruitment of additional staff, the creation of a separate BCS (Textile) cadre, increased budgetary allocations and the allocation of land in Purbachal, Dhaka, for a second campus.
The President listened to the delegation’s concerns and advised its members to contact the relevant ministries to resolve the issues. He also assured them of his cooperation.
During the meeting, the Vice-Chancellor invited the President, who is also the university’s Chancellor, to preside over BUTEX’s second convocation, scheduled for March next year. The President accepted the invitation and assured the delegation that he would attend the ceremony.
Other members of the delegation were Professor Dr Md Ahsan Habib, dean of the Faculty of Textile Management and Business Studies; Professor Shilpi Akter, dean of the Faculty of Textile Engineering; Professor Dr Hasina Akhtar, dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering; Professor Dr Rasheda Begum Dina, dean of the Faculty of Textile Chemical Engineering; and Professor Dr Lamia Zahir of the Faculty of Fashion Design and Apparel Engineering.
The President’s military secretary, secretary and press secretary were also present at the meeting.