Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon today said the friendly relations between Bangladesh and Japan would be expanded further in the future as a special delegation of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) met him today.  
  
"Bangladesh has a longstanding friendly relationship with Japan. The areas of relations and cooperation between the two countries will expand further in the future," he said.

The JICA delegation met the Education Minister at his ministry office in the Bangladesh Secretariat here, said an official handout.

Mochizuki Hiroshi, Director of the Human Development Department at JICA headquarters, led the delegation.

During the meeting, Ehsanul Hoque Milon said work is underway on a new curriculum to reduce the gap between educational institutions and industries.

Emphasizing the importance of learning a third language for developing students' skills, he said it is being incorporated into the curriculum. 

The government has plans to include multiple languages in the curriculum, the minister said, adding that Japanese is also important as a third language. He expressed hope that JICA would play an important role in these areas.

The minister further said that following the directives of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the government is attaching the highest priority to improving the quality of education. 

Various initiatives, including free distribution of school uniforms and introduction of mid-day meals, are being implemented to improve the quality of education, he added.

Ehsanul Hoque Milon stressed the need to further modernize the country's technical education institutions and said there are opportunities for JICA cooperation in these areas. 

He also expressed hope that JICA would expand its areas of cooperation in research and higher education.

During the meeting, Prime Minister's Adviser for Education Mahdi Amin said language plays a very important role in strengthening relations between the people of two countries.

He said the prime minister placed special emphasis on learning a third-language, particularly Japanese and technical education. 

Japan can cooperate in the development of technical education and teacher training, Mahdi Amin added.

Secondary and Higher Education Division Secretary Abdul Khaleque, Technical and Madrasah Education Division Secretary Md Daud Miah, Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) Director General Prof Dr Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel, JICA's Adviser Usagawa Tsuyoshi, Senior Representative Morikawa Yuko, Deputy Programme Manager Alimul Hasan and Head of Technical Education Advisory Team Saeri Muto were present at the meeting.