Staff Correspondent

 An 11-member Bangladeshi delegation returned home on Thursday afternoon after successfully completing a specialized training and competency assessment program in Saudi Arabia ahead of the 1448 Hijri (2027) Hajj season.

The delegation arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka following the conclusion of the week-long "Qualification Programme for Hajj Affairs Office Members and Group Leaders," which ran from November 5 to November 11 in Jeddah with the participation of representatives from 133 countries.

Comprising officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and physicians from the Hajj medical team, the Bangladeshi contingent attended the program at the invitation of the Saudi government under the management of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah.

Conducted across 11 specialized tracks as part of advance preparations for the 2027 Hajj operations, the initiative aimed to enhance the leadership and operational capacities of Hajj office personnel and group leaders to improve service delivery for pilgrims.

The curriculum covered critical operational areas including transportation management, accommodation, catering, services at the holy sites, healthcare, media coordination, and crowd management. Alongside formal competency assessments, the program incorporated a "train-the-trainer" model to ensure participants cascade their acquired expertise to wider administrative teams back home.

Officials expressed optimism that the knowledge and operational protocols gained from the program will strengthen pilgrim communication, ensure rapid response mechanisms, and make Bangladesh's 2027 Hajj management significantly more efficient and coordinated.