A Discussion with Md. Atiar Rahman, Training and Education Manager, Mirpur Agricultural Workshop and Training School, Dhaka, Bangladesh
With: Atiar Rahman Berkley Center Profile
June 22, 2014
Background:
As
part of the Education and Social Justice Fellowship, in June 2014 student
Kendra Layton interviewed Md. Atiar Rahman, training and education manager at
Mirpur Agricultural Workshop and Training School (MAWTS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A Trust of Caritas, MAWTS was founded 1976 in response to a demand for technical-vocational schools after Bangladesh's war of independence again Pakistan. MAWTS offers a four-year diploma in engineering course, three-year mechanical course, and short, modular courses. MAWTS also has a unique model of training and production where students manufacture anything from tables to power tillers while gaining theoretical and practical knowledge. In this interview, Rahman
reflects on the background of the students, the conceptions of technical and
general education, and the greatest successes of MAWTS.
Could
you tell me your background with MAWTS and how you came to work here?
I have been here 34 years. In 1980, I saw an advertisement in the newspaper, applied for the post, and did the interview. Management selected me as a workshop section in charge. Since then, I was gradually promoted. Now I am manager of training and education since 1997.
What are your main responsibilities as training and education manager?
I look after my assistant managers’ work as well as the students. I walk around the theoretical and practical classes. If they have a problem, I discuss it with my colleagues. One assistant manager looks after the short modular courses and the three years courses. Another looks after the four year diploma courses.
What is the socioeconomic background of the students?
We have different courses, and their backgrounds vary by course. In four years courses, the ratio of sponsored students to paid students is twenty to eighty. Twenty percent stay here in hostels, and 80 percent live outside MAWTS. In the Long Term Mechanical Course, 50 percent of students are sponsored and 50 percent are paid. In the modular courses 100 percent are paid, but some of are sponsored by other organizations such as World Vision. A total of 200 students stay in the hostel and do not pay.
And who pays for the students who live in the hostel and go to school at MAWTS?
They come through Caritas from eight regions all over Bangladesh. Caritas says, “These are our boys. Please take them and train them.” Every year Caritas sends about 20 boys and girls. We also have a girls’ hostel where 13 girls stay. Many of these students previously attended one of Caritas’ mobile technical schools.
In terms of the students who are paid and those sponsored, is there any differentiation among them?
There are no conflicts among them, but we give a value education to both the paid and sponsored students. We say, “Nothing is free.” We try to make the sponsored students aware that someone paid and supported them so they could attend school at MAWTS.
Where do most of the teachers come from?
Ninety percent of the teachers are a product of this school. Some general teachers come from universities, like those who teach physics, social science, English, Bengali, or accounting, but the majority of technical teachers are former students. In Bangladesh, most of the institutes provide education that is less practical and mostly theoretical. They have no practical skill, so it is a problem to give education in the four-year diploma and three year courses without skills. If instructors have more skill, they have better attitudes. Less skilled instructors have bad attitudes.
Could you speak about vocational versus general education? How is vocational education viewed in Bangladesh?
It was 1977 when I completed my technical education. At that time when I had job interviews there was very little competition. At this time there is a lot of competition. The technical and vocational education provides skills which are necessary for those jobs.
Are there other schools like this in Dhaka?
Yes, but they do not have the workshop space nor the hands-on training like MAWTS.
MAWTS also offers a trade test to those who already work in engineering, plumbing, construction, and automobiles. How many have taken the trade test?
A total of 200,000 have taken a trade test through MAWTS. Every day, more than 50 come to take it. As of now 35,000 who have taken the modular courses are working abroad in the Middle East. The most popular is civil construction, followed by electrical and plumbing, because of the high rise buildings in the Middle East.
What are the greatest successes of MAWTS?
In Bangladesh, most industry workers, technicians, and supervisors are our students from the four year diploma and three year courses. Most organizations seek out our students. For example Unilever in Chittagong has 500 technicians, and our students compose 265. In Nestle, Bangladesh, the majority of the technicians and supervisors are our graduates. In government organizations like the army, navy, and air force, our students lead the technical work.
A challenge is that, at this moment, MAWTS has less production. Since our training system is on-the-job training, if there is less production our boys have less skill. We need more work in our production side. If production has more work, our boys will be more skilled.
I have been here 34 years. In 1980, I saw an advertisement in the newspaper, applied for the post, and did the interview. Management selected me as a workshop section in charge. Since then, I was gradually promoted. Now I am manager of training and education since 1997.
What are your main responsibilities as training and education manager?
I look after my assistant managers’ work as well as the students. I walk around the theoretical and practical classes. If they have a problem, I discuss it with my colleagues. One assistant manager looks after the short modular courses and the three years courses. Another looks after the four year diploma courses.
What is the socioeconomic background of the students?
We have different courses, and their backgrounds vary by course. In four years courses, the ratio of sponsored students to paid students is twenty to eighty. Twenty percent stay here in hostels, and 80 percent live outside MAWTS. In the Long Term Mechanical Course, 50 percent of students are sponsored and 50 percent are paid. In the modular courses 100 percent are paid, but some of are sponsored by other organizations such as World Vision. A total of 200 students stay in the hostel and do not pay.
And who pays for the students who live in the hostel and go to school at MAWTS?
They come through Caritas from eight regions all over Bangladesh. Caritas says, “These are our boys. Please take them and train them.” Every year Caritas sends about 20 boys and girls. We also have a girls’ hostel where 13 girls stay. Many of these students previously attended one of Caritas’ mobile technical schools.
In terms of the students who are paid and those sponsored, is there any differentiation among them?
There are no conflicts among them, but we give a value education to both the paid and sponsored students. We say, “Nothing is free.” We try to make the sponsored students aware that someone paid and supported them so they could attend school at MAWTS.
Where do most of the teachers come from?
Ninety percent of the teachers are a product of this school. Some general teachers come from universities, like those who teach physics, social science, English, Bengali, or accounting, but the majority of technical teachers are former students. In Bangladesh, most of the institutes provide education that is less practical and mostly theoretical. They have no practical skill, so it is a problem to give education in the four-year diploma and three year courses without skills. If instructors have more skill, they have better attitudes. Less skilled instructors have bad attitudes.
Could you speak about vocational versus general education? How is vocational education viewed in Bangladesh?
It was 1977 when I completed my technical education. At that time when I had job interviews there was very little competition. At this time there is a lot of competition. The technical and vocational education provides skills which are necessary for those jobs.
Are there other schools like this in Dhaka?
Yes, but they do not have the workshop space nor the hands-on training like MAWTS.
MAWTS also offers a trade test to those who already work in engineering, plumbing, construction, and automobiles. How many have taken the trade test?
A total of 200,000 have taken a trade test through MAWTS. Every day, more than 50 come to take it. As of now 35,000 who have taken the modular courses are working abroad in the Middle East. The most popular is civil construction, followed by electrical and plumbing, because of the high rise buildings in the Middle East.
What are the greatest successes of MAWTS?
In Bangladesh, most industry workers, technicians, and supervisors are our students from the four year diploma and three year courses. Most organizations seek out our students. For example Unilever in Chittagong has 500 technicians, and our students compose 265. In Nestle, Bangladesh, the majority of the technicians and supervisors are our graduates. In government organizations like the army, navy, and air force, our students lead the technical work.
A challenge is that, at this moment, MAWTS has less production. Since our training system is on-the-job training, if there is less production our boys have less skill. We need more work in our production side. If production has more work, our boys will be more skilled.
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