Training should focus on problem solving: CA

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday stressed the need for problem-solving training, saying that different individuals may be skilled at solving different problems, but unskilled persons should learn these skills from skilled ones.

“There should be no routine, stereotyped training. Training must be problem-solving oriented. Each individual may be skilled in solving different problems, but others should learn from one who is skilled,” he said.

The Chief Adviser made the remarks while receiving a report on the activities and institutional evaluation of training institutions, said the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing in the evening.

The Governance Innovation Unit (GIU) of the Chief Adviser’s Office (CAO) submitted the report to Prof Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Thursday afternoon.

Putting emphasis on building strong training institutions, the Chief Adviser said institutions themselves should be ranked ̶ first, second, and third.

Private sector officials and employees will be allowed to receive training at these institutions so that they can feel proud to be trained at a good institution, he added.

Stressing on including an anti-corruption campaign in training, the Chief Adviser said, “There must be no corruption in government service or in any government institution. We must emphasise on it during training”.

“We have to build systems, management, and skills in such a way that decisions are implemented automatically and swiftly; files should not remain stuck moving from one room to another,” he categorically said.

Technology must be used, and all necessary training arrangements must be made for this, Prof Yunus said, adding, “Our goal is singular -- citizens should not have to go to individuals or to government offices; government services must reach citizens directly”.

He further said, “Often we see that training facilities and buildings exist, but skilled officers and staff do not. Training methods and curricula are outdated and not up to date. As a result, training does not take place effectively, and even when it does, no visible outcome is achieved”.

Therefore, technology must be integrated into this system, the Chief Adviser said, adding, training outcomes should be evaluated based on how many times training was conducted and how many marks participants obtained.

“Those who secure good marks and stand first, second, or third should be given incentives so that they feel encouraged,” he added.

About the report on the activities and institutional evaluation of training institutions, the press wing said the report was prepared by the GIU following the instruction of the Chief Adviser.

At the 9th meeting of the National Training Council on 10 September last year, the Chief Adviser had directed that training institutions and their ongoing activities be evaluated to enhance the quality of institutions and strengthen efficiency in public administration.

In line with that directive, the responsibility for carrying out the evaluation was assigned to the Governance Innovation Unit, and the scope of GIU’s work was accordingly restructured.

With technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), GIU conducted the evaluation of training activities and institutional performance of training institutions.

Initially, five training institutions under the Ministry of Public Administration were included in the evaluation—Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC), BCS Administration Academy, BIAM Foundation, National Academy for Development Administration (NADA), and National Academy for Planning and Development (NAPD).

However, the evaluation will be expanded gradually in phases.

On the occasion, members of the report preparing committee informed that this was the first initiative in Bangladesh to evaluate training institutions and their ongoing activities, making the task particularly challenging.

Defining appropriate standards, identifying indicators for measuring those standards, determining measurement techniques, and setting measurement scales were complex tasks, they said.

Therefore, the Learning by Doing approach was followed, and stakeholder opinions were taken at every stage.

To carry out the evaluation, a working committee was formed comprising representatives from academia, training institutions, and government officials. In addition, a steering committee consisting of senior government officials was formed to provide policy decisions.

The committee said the evaluation report was prepared incorporating the opinions, suggestions, and guidance of all stakeholders. The report followed recognized best practices, taking into account methods and standards used by training institutions in different countries.

Practical aspects were also considered to ensure that the report could effectively support institutional improvement. In this case, phase-wise implementable recommendations have been provided.

As per the instructions of the Chief Advisor, strategies for improving the quality of training institutions, ways to overcome their existing problems have been included in the report.

The committee members said that the evaluation framework can also be used for future assessments and further enriched if necessary.

Based on the report, training institutions under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Administration can immediately begin initiatives for their development.

With support from GIU, the ministry may take necessary steps to implement the recommendations. It is expected that improving the quality of training institutions will help develop more skilled government officials, thereby enhancing effective service delivery to the public.

Chief Adviser’s Principal Secretary M Siraz Uddin Miah, SDG Coordinator Lamiya Morshed, CAO Secretary M Saifullah Panna and Public Administration Ministry’s Senior Secretary Md Ehsanul Hoque were present on the occasion, among others.