The ninth meeting of the National Training Council was held on Wednesday (10 September), chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. Attendees included Economic Adviser Dr. Saleh Uddin Ahmed, Law Adviser Dr. Asif Nazrul, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md. Touhid Hossain, Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Dr. Md. Mokhlesur Rahman, and Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Niaz Ahmed Khan.
At the meeting, it was decided that the duration of the basic training program would be reduced from six months to four months—three months in training institutes and one month dedicated to fieldwork and rural immersion.
The maximum age for admission into master’s and PhD programs has been raised from 45 to 47 years. PhD candidates will be required to submit an annual progress certificate from their supervisors to the ministry; failure to do so will result in suspension of salary.
The Chief Adviser emphasized that government training centers must be subject to standards-based monitoring and ranking. An independent unit will be established to evaluate the performance of research institutes, while records of officials receiving training abroad will be systematically maintained.
The long-standing Sanjibani Training program has been renamed as Skill Renewal Training, with updated curricula that include practical training in both government and private institutions.
New modules on Virtue, Morality, Behavioral Science, and the Code of Ethics will be incorporated to strengthen integrity, ethical values, and anti-corruption attitudes among officials. Additionally, a structured program for research, monitoring, and evaluation of training-related activities has been approved.
An executive committee (ECNTC) was also formed, with Economic Adviser Dr. Saleh Uddin Ahmed appointed as its chair.