The National Training Council (NTC) has decided to reduce the duration of the foundation training course for BCS cadre officers from six months to four months.
The revised structure will consist of three months of institutional training and one month of field-level orientation and village attachment.
The decision was taken in its 9th meeting held on Wednesday with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus in the chair.
Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, Health and Family Welfare Adviser Nurjahan Begum, Public Administration Ministry Secretary Dr Md Mokhles Ur Rahman, and Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan.
The Council formed the Executive Committee of the National Training Council (ECNTC), appointing the Finance Adviser as its chairman.
The meeting raised the maximum age limit for enrollment in Master's and PhD programmes from 45 to 47 years, said the Chief Adviser’s press wing.
For PhD candidates, annual progress reports certified by academic supervisors must be submitted to the relevant ministry and failure to do so will result in suspension of their salaries.
Emphasising the need for accountability and efficiency, the Chief Adviser called for a comprehensive evaluation of all government training centers, and proposed that each institution be categorically ranked and monitored, with clear standards and training methodologies in place.
He also recommended the formation of an independent unit to systematically evaluate research institutions. “We need to understand the underlying philosophy of these institutions and assess whether they are being run effectively.”
The Chief Adviser stressed the importance of preserving data on government officials who receive training abroad.
The Council approved renaming the ‘Sanjiboni Training Programme’ to ‘Skill Renewal Training’. Under the revised curriculum, this training will now be conducted at the field level in both government and non-government institutions.
Another key decision was to allow deputation for officials who receive partial scholarships for higher studies abroad.
To foster integrity and ethical conduct among civil servants, the Council also decided to include modules on Virtue, Morality, Behavioral Science and the Code of Ethics in all training programmes.
The Council agreed to implement systematic research, monitoring, and evaluation mechanisms to assess training programs, institutions, and overall decision-making related to government training initiatives.
