Yunus calls for ‘problem-solving oriented’ government training

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has emphasised shifting government training away from rigid routines towards problem solving approaches.

A report on institutional evaluation of training centres was presented to Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Thursday.

Yunus said, “There should be no routine, stereotyped training. Training must be problem-solving oriented. Each individual may be skilled in solving different problems, but others should learn from one who is skilled.”

He added: “There must be no corruption in government service or in any government institution. We must emphasise it during training.”

Criticising outdated systems, Yunus said many institutions had infrastructure but lacked skilled personnel.

“We see training facilities and buildings, but not skilled staff. The training system and curriculum are old and not up-to-date,” he said.

He called for technology driven, results based training, where performance is measured and incentives given for high scores.

The Governance Innovation Unit (GIU), with UNDP technical support, prepared the report.

It initially evaluated five institutions under the Ministry of Public Administration: Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC), BCS Administration Academy, BIAM Foundation, National Academy for Development Administration (NADA), and National Academy for Planning and Development (NAPD).

Committee members said this was the first institutional evaluation of training centres in Bangladesh, requiring new standards, indicators and measurement scales, developed through a “learning-by-doing” approach with stakeholder input.

Yunus also suggested ranking institutions and opening them to private sector officials for training.

GIU said the framework would allow regular future evaluations, improving quality and enhancing civil servants’ capacity to deliver services.