Education Minister Ehsanul Haque Milon said Bangladesh is interested in following China’s strong industry-academia linkage model after a recent visit to China. He made the remarks on Sunday after a meeting titled “Strategic Partnership Between Bangladesh and China in the Education Sector” at the Foreign Ministry conference room. Milon also described China’s education system as highly developed and noted that China provides scholarships to Bangladeshi students.

The meeting reviewed the education minister-led delegation’s August 25-29 China visit, which was described as successful and productive. Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister’s education adviser Dr Mahdi Amin, senior education officials, Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen and the Chinese embassy’s cultural counsellor attended. Officials also discussed simplifying visa procedures for Chinese language teachers coming to Bangladesh; student visa procedures have already been eased.

During the visit, both sides signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a China-Bangladesh Vocational Education, Training and Research Centre. Three cooperation platforms were also launched, including vocational teacher training, vocational education research, and Chinese language-plus-skills development centres. A post-visit news conference is scheduled for Monday.