Curriculum misalignment: Why Bangladesh’s graduates are falling behind in the global job market

Every year, a large number of students graduate from Bangladeshi universities with high ambitions for their careers. Yet thousands struggle to compete in the increasingly globalised job market.

One crucial reason is a structural weakness in the existing education system: the misalignment between university curricula and the demands of the global job market.

Two major concerns need attention. Firstly, most university programmes rely on outdated curricula, while the global economy transforms rapidly through Al, automation, digitalisation, and sustainability. 

Why is this happening in Bangladesh? We need to dig deeper to explore; some reasons are well known, others less so. For example, course content is not revised regularly to reflect market changes. As a result, graduates have strong theoretical knowledge but lack exposure to fields like financial technology, data analytics, digital marketing, forensic investigations, and sustainable business practices. Consequently, graduates lose competitiveness in the global job market.

Secondly, the minimal involvement of industry experts or professionals in curriculum development. Consequently, companies demand skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, technological literacy, and interdisciplinary knowledge skills that are consistently neglected or poorly integrated into academic programmes.

Degrees without skills are losing value in the global labor market. Companies seek graduates able to quickly acquire new skills such as IT-adapt to diverse teams and apply knowledge practically. Tech giant Google, for example, hires skilled staff regardless of their degree. Economies like India, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam export skilled manpower due to education systems aligned with global demands.

Collaboration with industry, curriculum updates, and specialised programmes targeting emerging sectors helps them seize these opportunities. However, Bangladesh, despite its growing higher education sector and demographic advantage, risks missing out unless universities modernise their academic programs.

Bangladesh needs to set priority areas to overcome this challenge. Both universities and the government should work hand in hand to improve the situation. Firstly, from the university's end, it should reduce the regular review period for the curriculum to 2 years per round. Secondly, specific focus should be given to interdisciplinary learning. The future labor market will value professionals who have multidisciplinary skills and knowledge, such as business and data analytics, accounting and information systems, or engineering and sustainability. 

Thirdly, universities should make digital literacy compulsory for all students, regardless of discipline. Fourthly, soft skills and global competencies should be incorporated. Courses should be introduced that develop communication, leadership, teamwork, and critical thinking, thereby significantly enhancing graduates' employability in international contexts.

Degrees without skills are losing value in the global labor market. Companies seek graduates able to quickly acquire new skills, adapt to diverse teams, and apply knowledge practically. Tech giant Google, for example, hires skilled staff regardless of their degree. Economies like India, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam export skilled manpower due to education systems aligned with global demands.

In addition, our university can play a crucial role in reducing the academia-industry gap. They can form industry advisory boards for every programme. This board should comprise professionals from relevant sectors who can provide valuable input on industry trends to address the required skills. There should be flexibility in the curriculum structures. Especially for subjects or programmes that tend to change rapidly. Any lengthy bureaucratic procedure should be avoided. 

Furthermore, there should be additional activities focused on project-based learning, real-world applications, and case studies. These can help our students bridge the gap between their classroom knowledge and practical problem-solving.

The government should have taken equal responsibility for implementing these reforms in the curriculum. The government can establish a dedicated national graduate skills framework that is unified across all universities. This framework will explore and incorporate the core competencies required for future employment, both domestically and internationally. 

In addition, the government should have a strong, effective monitoring system in place to assess the quality of education. UGC should assess the quality assurance and conduct regular audits. Another initiative can be taken by the joint effort of the government and the university to promote international academic partnerships. Several collaborative programmes with reputable foreign universities can raise our universities to world-class standards in curriculum and teaching practices.

With the inauguration of the new democratic government inspired by the July uprising 2024, Bangladesh is at a high point of united interest among all stakeholders to achieve these reforms. We want to believe that having highly educated education Ministers in the Cabinet means there are no barriers to reaching the milestones we aim to achieve.

Bangladesh has no alternative but to modernise academic programmes, strengthen industry engagement, and adopt forward-looking education policies to transform our universities into a powerful global talent hub. Our future success is in our hands and it depends largely on how effectively the country addresses these critical issues today.