Mr. A K M A Hamid, President, IDEB (2nd fr. L) and Dr. Naim (2nd fr. R) exchange copies of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), with witnesses from both IDEB and CPSC during the signing between the two institutions

As a testament to the growing network of institutions seeking linkages with the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC) and keeping in mind the advocacy on and continuously aspire for the development of the human resources for economic prosperity, seven high-level officials from the Institution of Diploma Engineers (IDEB), Bangladesh visited the CPSC on June 19, 2014.

The visit marks the second leg of their benchmarking activity in which they visited some of the important TVET institutions in Malaysia before their stopover to the Philippines.

The CPSC Director General, Dr. Mohammad Naim Yaakub led the CPSC Faculty and Staff to warmly welcome the delegation from IDEB.

IDEB’s President Mr. A K M A Hamid, led the delegation composed of the following members of the IDEB namely: Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam Mir, Controller of Examination, Bangladesh Technical Education Board; A K M Abdul Motaleb, Vice President, Central Executive Committee; Khonkoder Muinur Rahman, Joint Secretary, Central Executive Committee; Md. Fazlul Hoque Mallick, International Affairs Secretary, Central Executive Committee; Kazi Nazrul Islam, Public Relation & Publicity Secretary, Central Executive Committee; and Md. Rehan Miah, Asst. Organizing Secretary, Central Executive Committee.

Prior to this visit, Dr. Naim was invited by the IDEB as a Special Guest during the 20th National Convention 2014 and the 38th Council Session’s Seminar on Skills-Based Education for Life, Livelihood and Prosperity in Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 22-25, 2014. (See story: http://www.cpsctech.org/news/cpsc-dg-special-guest-20th-national-convention-and-38th-council-session-institution-diploma-eng)

In his remarks during the welcome ceremonies, Dr. Naim acknowledged the significance of the event in strengthening CPSC’s reach to its member countries, as well as the need for institutions to seek higher standards in quality of operations and services. He also praised IDEB’s efforts in striving for excellence in their chosen fields and wished them the best of luck in their planned endeavors.

In response, the President of IDEB and the head of the delegation, Mr. A.K.M.A Hamid, emphasized their appreciation for CPSC’s efforts in promoting an inclusive and responsive TVET in the region. He also recognized Dr. Naim as a “dynamic” leader and duly recognized him for his contributions in the IDEB Summit in Dhaka last April.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between CPSC and IDEB which will serve as an agreement between the two entities in exploring possibilities for joint activities in TVET. Some of the agreed areas of collaboration include the exploration of the training opportunities for the professional staff members from institutions, customized program arrangements and information, resource and personnel exchange.

IDEB expressed their desire to be an honorary member of the CPSC, which they believe would pave the way towards opportunities to establish significant networks with the rest of the CPSC member countries. They have also pledged to explore the possibility of sending some IDEB members in Manila for customized training programs and the hosting of a future Regional Program in their headquarters in Dhaka. They also indicated the importance of leadership training in the development of the institution, with two programs for leadership training planned to be held annually between IDEB and CPSC.

Mr. Hamid also extended his invitation to Dr. Naim to the World Summit on Sustainable Development which is to be held in Dhaka sometime in August or September. Bangladesh is one of the 27 organizing members of the event, which will also involve several important organizations such as the United Nations and the World Bank, among others.

IDEB is the national organization of all Diploma Engineers who graduated from the different polytechnics and technical institutions under the Bangladesh Technical Education Board and Engineering College in Dhaka University. Established in 1970, the institution currently has 400,000 members that are ubiquitously involved in projects not only in Bangladesh but also in the entire Asia-Pacific region.

The delegation will be in Manila from June 19-21, 2014 in a line-up of activities to be facilitated by CPSC which include tours to some of the important engineering institutions in the country such as the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) and the Technological University of the Philippines-Manila (TUP). These activities are planned to provide an opportunity for IDEB to meet officials of these institutions and establish platforms for networking through information exchange and benchmarking.


The IDEB delegation with the CPSC DG and Faculty Members