Staff Correspondent

State Minister for Youth and Sports, Md. Aminul Haque, has stated that while equipping the nation's youth with skills is essential, equal importance must be placed on fostering their morality, values, and sense of social responsibility.

He made these remarks on Thursday while addressing the contract signing ceremony for service providers under the 'Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (EARN) (1st Revised)' project, implemented by the Department of Youth Development with World Bank funding.

Addressing the audience at the Ministry of Youth and Sports conference room, the State Minister noted that a growing deficit in morality and values is becoming increasingly evident in society, with rising tendencies toward aggression in the behavior and speech of children and adolescents. Given this reality, he argued that incorporating a dedicated session on ethics alongside skill development training has become a necessity.

Highlighting the government's commitment, the State Minister emphasized that engaging youth in productive economic activities remains a top priority. The EARN project is a significant initiative toward this goal, aiming to develop 900,000 NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) youth, aged 15 to 35—60 percent of whom are women—into skilled, self-reliant individuals through market-oriented training.

It was announced that BRAC, Save the Children, CARE Bangladesh, and Dhaka Ahsania Mission have been selected as service providers based on the recommendations of the proposal evaluation committee and World Bank clearance. BRAC will operate in the Dhaka and Rangpur divisions, while Save the Children will work in the Barishal division and the Chattogram and Cox's Bazar districts. CARE Bangladesh is tasked with operations in the three Chittagong Hill Tracts districts, as well as the Khulna, Mymensingh, and Rajshahi divisions. Dhaka Ahsania Mission will cover the Cumilla, Brahmanbaria, Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, and Chandpur districts, along with the Sylhet division.

These organizations and their joint venture partners will establish 5,000 village-based training centers across 250 upazilas in 64 districts by 2028. Through these centers, 900,000 youths will receive training on contemporary, demand-driven topics, which will boost self-employment opportunities and strengthen the country’s economic transformation and graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category.

The contract signing ceremony was presided over by Amina Begum, Secretary (Routine Duty) of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Other notable attendees included Director General of the Department of Youth Development Md. Motahar Hossain, Project Director Kazi Moklesur Rahman, World Bank Senior Economist and Task Team Leader Syed Rashed Al-Zayed Josh, and Additional Project Director Dr. Marina Nazneen, alongside various ministry officials and representatives from the selected service provider organizations.