A constructive initiative of the present government has given poor, vulnerable adolescents access to quality education including variety of livelihood skills training in a bid to reintegrating them in society. A total of 24,840 adolescents have graduated in last ten years (since 2009) from 90-day courses under the project titled Self Employment and Poverty Alleviation (SEPA) under Bangladesh Industrial Technical Assistance Centre other-wise known as BITAC.
On Thursday at a formal ceremony a total of 278 such graduates, both male and female, were handed certificates. Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun handed over the certificates. Md Iqbal Hossain Patwary, Project Director of SEPA told Bangladesh Post, “I am proud to announce that out of the 278 graduates, 196 received appointment letters from various corporate houses for regular jobs,”
Due to their poor economic and social conditions, they might have drifted towards prostitution and various crimes unless have the opportunity of such training, he said. Lack of education, training, infrastructure and jobs unfortunately haunt the lives of such poor adolescents who predominantly live in various city slums. Such children often do not have access to education, because their families cannot afford basic prerequisites for school attendance. To assure their families’ survival, many children – instead of learning at school – have to beg on the streets or work to support the family.
The project allows a total of 300 aspirant applicants, aged between 18 and 30, at each batch from across the country to take part in the free training programme for skill development. On its successful completion, SEPA is expected to be extended for another five years. A proposal in this regard is awaiting approval from the ministry concerned, the official said.
The training programme include nine topics for females and three for male students. Females usually learn making plastic utensils, repairing electrical appliances, tailoring and many other related issues while the male students learn wielding, refrigeration and maintenance of electrical appliances.
