'We need more professionals with skills, not just knowledge, in Bangladesh'

Dr Mark Bartholomew, an educationist with a long history in Bangladesh, has degrees and qualifications from many reputable UK institutions. However, perhaps surprisingly, the former Director of British Council prizes vocational training as highly as university education in today’s Bangladesh. In an exclusive interview with the Dhaka Tribune, Dr Bartholomew shares why vocational knowledge is a must in 2019 for school leavers and fresh graduates in Bangladesh.

I have heard about all your academic and professional credentials. Will you share them for the sake of our readers?

I began with a BA in Psychology and Sociology from University of Keele, before completing a PhD in the History of Clinical Psychology at University of Oxford. Years later, I did a Master’s in Education from University of Sheffield. I also did a teaching qualification from the University of Cambridge in Teaching English Language to Adults – the most demanding of my qualifications.

As for my professional experience, I have served many roles in secondary, higher and vocational education. For instance, I was the Director of South Asia region at University of Cambridge International Education. I worked as the Director of British Council in Chittagong, and as Deputy Director of British Council Bangladesh. I have worked as lead consultant for the Department of Education for the Open University in India. I have also worked in BRAC University as Director of Quality Assurance. Currently, I am with The AKS Khan Centre for Excellence (ACE) as the Director of Professional Development.

Such a glorious academic record! Will you share the experience of being a student, and also a teacher, in age-old institutions such as Oxford and Cambridge?

I would say the quality of education there can only be described as excellent. Teachers are recruited from the absolute best in their fields. That is not to say, that these teachers do not have any deficiencies though. They are employed for their research work, not their teaching skill, and so are not always the best teachers.  

The sad part is there is this very discernible "elitism" in student recruitment. The current Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, for example, is an Oxford alumnus and almost all British prime ministers have attended either Cambridge or Oxford. Few students can afford such an education. These same individuals often reach the top of their fields after they graduate. So, the cycle of elitism continues.  

As the director of Professional Development at ACE, what is your role?

My objective is to take ACE to new heights, where it conducts vocational training of all kinds to really improve the employability skills of people. The current Chairman of University Grants Commission, Professor Abdul Mannan, often says – and I completely agree with him – that we need more technicians in Bangladesh, rather than graduates with worthless degree certificates that cannot get them decent jobs when they leave university. Often though, graduates are unable to think for themselves or to hit the ground running when they get jobs. English language, the ability to think quickly and effectively, excellent customer service, attention to detail and being able to see the big picture are all essential qualities for employees but graduates often leave university without those skills. Here at ACE, our focus is to "professionally develop" individuals so that they are head hunted by organizations, rather than submitting dull and irrelevant CVs full of mistakes to potential employers who just chuck them in the waste bin. 

Currently, ACE is more focused on teacher training and the vocational training of English as well as professional skills necessary in business. However, we will steadily branch out towards more technical skills, such as graphic design, photography, video-editing, and a myriad of other skills that employers look for when they want to hire someone. 

So, why focus on teacher training first? 

The difficulties that many Bangladeshis have with English at school, where their own teachers sometimes do not have the language skills necessary to be confident in their teaching. They also don’t know how to convey information to students in exciting ways. Their students, therefore, never get opportunities to use their English and so they leave school with pass grades but no ability to communicate and no confidence to try! It’s not just English either but sciences, business and so on. We need students to put into practice the knowledge that they have acquired, in their jobs. 

Hence, now I am specifically building relationships with schools around the country to conduct training of teachers. If the teachers know how to teach, the students will learn better, and in turn the country will benefit with more skilled individuals.