Shikho launches Think AI

Shikho has recently launched Think AI, a free Bangla-language course designed to give students, teachers and workers a grounding in artificial intelligence, as Bangladesh's government and global technology firms move to widen digital skills in a country where more than half the population is under the age of 25.

The course, developed in collaboration with LightCastle Partners and supported by Meta, is delivered on Shikho's learning platform in four lessons covering AI fundamentals, the mechanics of generative tools, the ethics of responsible use, and concrete upskilling pathways, according to a media release. 

It requires no technical background and is aimed at secondary and university students, educators, freelancers, and young professionals across Bangladesh.

The launch, recently held at the Renaissance Hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka, drew more than 60 stakeholders from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, the private sector, and development partners.

Discussions at the event centered on three objectives: distributing the course through Bangladesh's existing educational infrastructure, opening cross-sector dialogue on AI literacy and digital skills, and establishing a replicable model for public-private collaboration in digital skilling.

In a keynote address, Shahir Chowdhury, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shikho, framed AI as a civilizational shift and a defining opportunity for Bangladesh. "For the first time in modern history, geography doesn't have to dictate destiny," he said.

Mahdi Amin, Adviser to the Prime Minister's Office (Education), said the government is moving to digitise the country's curriculum and standardise the quality of teaching across geographies, with AI as a core enabler. "We are going to convert our curriculum to a digital curriculum. The finest teachers in Dhaka, the content they get access to, will have the same content in the remote villages," he said.

"For our digital classroom and One Teacher One Tab programmes, AI will play an instrumental role."

Rehan Asif Asad, Adviser to the Prime Minister's Office (ICT), said the government's first priority is laying the connectivity and data infrastructure that will allow AI to work at national scale.

"If I don't have connectivity, I have nothing. For AI to work, it is absolutely critical to have the data," he said. "With that infrastructure in place, for the first time, the barrier is almost blurring between Rangpur and Palo Alto."

The panel discussion, which brought together the senior government advisers and Meta's regional public policy leadership, was moderated by Bijon Islam, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LightCastle Partners.

Bijon Islam framed AI as a potential equalizer between Bangladesh and the developed world. "We're very excited that this will come in as an equalizer," he said. "The difference between someone staying in the US and someone staying in Bangladesh won't be as big as it was before."