Bangladesh, Google explore partnership on education, AI and digital skills

DHAKA, Sept 30: Bangladesh and Google have explored potential cooperation in education, artificial intelligence, digital skills, cloud computing and cybersecurity, with a focus on using technology to modernise the country's education system.

A high-level Bangladesh ministerial delegation held discussions with senior Google executives at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California, on September 28, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday.

The delegation was led by Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir and included State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Boby Hajjaj, and Adviser for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and Science and Technology Rehan Asif Asad.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Tareq Md Ariful Islam and Consul General in Los Angeles Kazi Muhammad Jabed Iqbal also participated in the meeting.

The Google delegation was led by Divya Jani, vice-president, Strategy and Operations, Google for Education.

The discussions focused particularly on Google for Education and the potential use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies to strengthen teachers and improve learning outcomes.

Shama Obaed stressed the importance of developing a long-term Bangladesh-Google partnership in skills development, institutional capacity building and responsible technology use, with practical benefits for the country's young population.

Boby Hajjaj outlined Bangladesh's priorities for modernising primary education, including curriculum development, teacher training, digital connectivity, improved monitoring and technology-enabled learning.

The two sides discussed a possible integrated digital education ecosystem covering learning and school management systems, student assessment, digital educational content and technology-enabled school inspection and monitoring.

Potential cooperation in AI-supported teacher training, digital safety, teacher certification and responsible use of AI in classrooms was also discussed.

Google representatives shared their international experience in teacher training, AI-supported learning and measuring educational outcomes. The meeting also covered Google Workspace for Education, Google Classroom and Gemini for Education, as well as training and certification for educators.

Rehan Asif Asad highlighted potential cooperation in AI, virtual learning, cloud computing, cybersecurity and data science. He also proposed structured training programmes for students, teachers, professionals and young people.

Titumir emphasised the need to link education, technology and skills development with employment, productivity and sustainable economic growth.

He also highlighted the potential for developing locally relevant AI and digital content, including Bangla-language AI capabilities reflecting Bangladesh's history, culture and social context.

The meeting also touched on Bangladesh's growing YouTube creator ecosystem and possible opportunities to take Bangladeshi education, culture, entrepreneurship and creative content to international audiences.

The two sides expressed interest in forming working groups involving Google and relevant Bangladesh government agencies to identify priority areas and develop measurable cooperation.

The Bangladesh Consulate General in Los Angeles, which facilitated the visit, will coordinate follow-up discussions with Google and relevant ministries and agencies in Bangladesh, according to the foreign ministry.