Bangladesh: Madrassah Education

IDB to fund 10 million dollars for Bangladesh Madrassah modernization scheme

The Islamic Development Bank is providing Bangladesh a 10 million dollar grant to modernize the country’s traditional madrassah education system, according to newspaper reports.

The IDB support will be utilized in a project undertaken by the present Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led right-wing alliance government of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, to produce science-minded madrassah students, the New Age newspaper reported on Saturday.

The Islamic Development Bank is going to donate 10 million dollars for the implementation of the modernization of madrassah education at secondary level. The government would contribute a nominal amount for the project, said an official.

The first-ever syllabus-based madrassah education in the then undivided Bengal was introduced in 1780 during the rule of the East India Company. Some minor changes were brought to the syllabus later on through individual initiatives at certain types of madrassah.

However, there is no curriculum as such for secondary and higher secondary madrassah education till date. And most of the Madrassah educated students are unable to get jobs in the competitive market nowadays.

The main objective of the project is to reduce the differences between madrassah and general education and produce skilled and productive citizens, according to the project proposal, which was submitted to the IDB recently.

The output of the project includes updating madrassah curriculum, improving textbooks, training madrassah teachers and science-minded madrassah students and helping them achieve skills to face challenges in the real world.

The inputs are reformation of the curriculum, construction of science laboratory buildings and supply equipment for facilitating science education, according to the proposal.

Laboratory buildings will be constructed in 64 madrassahs in 64 districts in the first phase and will supply scientific equipment to 515 madrassah by 2008 and 2009 under the project.

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education will implement the project under the supervision of the education ministry.

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board chairman, Professor Gazi Mohammad Ahsanul Kabir, who has prepared the project proposal, said the implementation would start in July.

The present condition of the madrassah curriculum is bad, he said. There are about 1400,000 students in secondary madrassahs across the country. 130,000 teachers are there in about 7,000 madrassahs.

The Bangladesh government provides 90 per cent of the salaries of teachers and employees of non-government secondary and higher secondary madrassahs which cost about Tk 600 crore per year.

Source: WebIndia123.Com (04.02.2006)

Bangladesh: Telecommunication

Mobile phone subscriber base expected to reach 18m by 2007

Bangladesh’s mobile phone subscriber base expected to reach 18 million by 2007 following massive surge of foreign investments in booming cellular marketLeading industry analyst and forecaster, BIS Shrapnel, has launched its Bangladesh Mobile Telecommunication, 2005 report. The extensive market analysis carried out for this study incorporated comprehensive interviews with most network operators and importers, as well as network dealers, and retailers.

Report author Mr. Priyam Shah explains that Bangladesh’s mobile phone market has achieved exceptional growth since the beginning of 2004, registering a massive 100 % growth in its subscriber base during 2004, and 137% during 2005. This trend is forecast to continue over the coming years, bringing the subscriber base to 18 million by 2007.

According to Mr. Shah, recent growth in the Bangladesh mobile market can be attributed to factors such as the deregulation of the telecommunication sector, low levels of tele-density, inadequate fixed phone infrastructure, high competition following the entry of two new operators (Banglalink and Teletalk) and, particularly, massive foreign direct investment (FDI) by telecom giants like Telenor, Telekom Malaysia (TM), Orascom, SingTel, and most recently by UAE-based Warid Telecom. Mr. Shah explains that foreign operators, in collaboration with local partners, have been working with the infrastructure to remove entry barriers and make mobile telephony more affordable and widen the base of mobile subscribers.

Mobile Price War

According to Mr. Shah, the entry of Banglalink in February last year has sparked a price war. Banglalink’s attractive launch offer included a new connection and handset at a low start-up cost of Tk 3,400. Following Banglalink, 3 (three) other private operators ­ GrameenPhone, Aktel and CityCell ­ have also come up with various value-added offers resulting in an intense price battle.

The development of a competitive mobile phone market is expected to prompt an easing in cell phone tariffs going forward, after years of escalation in what was a captive market. Consumers will also benefit from cheaper connection and call rates.

State-owned operator Teletalk, however, is expected to struggle in this new environment as it is still grappling with poor network coverage and inefficient management.

New SIM Tax

Controversially, the country’s 2004/05 annual budget (delivered in June 2005) imposed a tax of Tk 1,200 on each new SIM card connection, raising a huge furore among cell phone operators. Operators think that the new tax will pose a serious entry hurdle for low-income earners and will significantly stifle growth expectations.

According to the latest figures from BIS Shrapnel research, the sale of mobile phone connections has picked up after an initial slowdown in June and July. The tax on SIM cards was revised to Tk 900 in August in response to fierce demands from operators.

Mobile Handset Market

In tandem with the growing subscriber base, sales of mobile handsets has increased at a phenomenal pace. However, nearly 70 per cent of mobile handsets available in the local market have been entering through informal channels, depriving the Government and importers of a huge amount of revenue each year.

In a serious bid to turn around this drastic situation, the Bangladesh Government reduced the tax on mobile handset imports from Tk 1,500 to only Tk 300 in mid 2005. Mr. Shah explains that although this initiative has revived the situation to a certain extent, the effect on the grey market has not been as significant as was expected by distributors and importers. Interviews conducted by BIS Shrapnel with leading distributors reveal that the grey market is currently holding around 40% market share, but they are hopeful this will diminish over the coming months.

According to BIS Shrapnel research, Bangladesh’s mobile handset market is dominated by first-time users (nearly 85%), as the country is still in its infancy in terms of mobile phone usage. Further, 80% of the handset market is dominated by ultra-low to low-end handsets, available for less than Tk 4,500, due to the country’s low per capita income levels.

As with many other Asia-Pacific countries, the Bangladesh mobile handset market is predominantly captured by global handset giant Nokia (approximately 52% market share) followed by Siemens. Mr. Shah explains that the success of these 2 (two) vendors can be attributed to excellent handset quality, ease of use, an efficient sales and distribution network, dedicated after-sales service, and regular launches of low-priced handsets to meet market demand.

Source: BIS Shrapnel Pty Ltd (01.02.2006)