Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh : Email Bulletin Archive

Japan-Bangladesh E-Bulletin (29th issue / July 10, 2005)
- Making a Bridge between Japan and Bangladesh - ====================================================================================================

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[1] Message from Ambassador Horiguchi "Promising Bangladeshi Young Entrepreneurs"

I once mentioned in this column what I heard from my foreign friend who had been living in Dhaka for a long time. He said a number of young entrepreneurs who had studied and/or worked returned from abroad, and they were mainly responsible for the rapid development of Dhaka. He predicted and hoped that Bangladeshi economy would head
towards a positive direction if more young entrepreneurs with overseas experiences come back and set up businesses here.

I went to see the second outlet of "ETCETERA" which has just been opened in Dhanmondi. Compared to the first store in Gulshan, the second one is several times bigger and has much more items displayed in an eye-catching way; accordingly, a whole atmosphere in the store seemed quite different.

The items include international brand clothing, leather products, cosmetics, CDs, DVDs, watches, stationeries, and ornaments. In addition, there were corners of audio equipment, quality toys and a large volume of books and other publications, which were simply remarkable.

Taking advantage of a large space, the way they display these items gives us an expansive and intimate impression as well as a feeling of class. It seems that there have not been places like this one before in Bangladesh. Most of the items are made in India or China and are generally expensive because they are taxed by 85%, 65%, or 35% according to the level of "luxury". But as constituencies become larger, this kind of store can run business despite charging high prices.

Mr. Sayed M. Murshed, Managing Director who built this new store, is as young an entrepreneur as 30 years old with a long experience of studying and working in Singapore and Canada (his mother serves as principal at "Scholastica," a front-ranking private school).

Listening to Mr. Murshed who enthusiastically showed me around the store from corner to corner, I remembered what I heard about young entrepreneurs with overseas experiences whom I introduced in the beginning. Mr. Murshed said that he was most interested in creating demand by introducing new products to new constituencies. But he mentioned that one of the biggest problems was to get smooth understanding of officers at an agency which oversees a retail industry and at the customs office about a new way of business and new products.

A few months ago, I had an opportunity to listen to young Bangladeshi entrepreneurs' opinions regarding private sector development, where there was a remark that a best policy of the government is not to intervene. Also, when I exchanged views with a young businessman about how to promote development of Dhaka a while ago, he suggested that the government should shift the military cantonment, which is now located in the center of Dhaka, to somewhere in the suburbs and utilize the site in a more productive manner.

Through these experiences, I have come to believe that economic development of Bangladesh depends on these young entrepreneurs, who are not prepossessed with stereotyped ideas. It is a matter of time that Bangladesh will greatly change if business environment is facilitated in such a way that these young entrepreneurs can do their business without hindrances. I believe that Japan would assist Bangladesh to realize such an environment.

(Ambassador's past messages are posted on the following website.)
http://www.bd.emb-japan.go.jp/en/eBulletin/index.html

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* Japan Southwest Asia Youth Friendship Programme (July 11, Dhaka)
A pre-departure ceremony for "Japan Southwest Asia Youth Friendship Programme 2005" will be held by JICA on July 11. The programme is conducted by the Government of Japan to promote human resource development in Bangladesh and to foster friendly relations between Japan and Bangladesh.

This year, 30 Bangladeshi teachers at primary and lower-secondary schools are invited to Japan for 23 days from July 13 to August 4 in order to study education and to meet Japanese people.

(Youth Invitation Team at JICA)
http://www.jica.go.jp/english/activities/schemes/02you.html

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* Handover of Solid Waste Management Master Plan (Dhaka, July 5)
Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and JICA formulated a Master Plan on Solid Waste Management in Dhaka City. The Master Plan handover ceremony was held on July 5 at DCC with the attendances of H.E.Mr. Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, Ministry of LGRD and Co-operatives, H.E.Mr. Sadeque Hossain MP, DCC Mayor and Ambassador Horiguchi.

In most cities of the world, solid waste management has become a critical issue and Dhaka is no exception. The Japanese Government dispatched a Study Team through a JICA technical cooperation scheme to work together with the DCC in formulating a "Clean Dhaka Master Plan". It is hoped that the Master Plan will be successfully implemented through inspired participation of relevant offices of the Government of Bangladesh, NGOs and the community people at large.

Ambassador Horiguchi made the following speech:
http://www.bd.emb-japan.go.jp/en/embassy/speeches/sp_solidwaste050705.html

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(Preface)
Two years have passed since I assumed a responsibility as Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh in May, 2003. Since then, I have been enjoying visiting various parts of the country and seeing and talking to many people with various backgrounds.

I have been expressing my thoughts and observation gained through such occasions by speeches at various places and on our Embassy's E-Bulletin.

I am pleased to announce that our Embassy issues this booklet "Making a Bridge between Japan and Bangladesh" compiling my speeches and essays and JBCCI's reports on the special occasion of the visit of Her Excellency Begum Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, to Japan from July 11 to 15, 2005.

I hope that people who are interested and engaged in Japan-Bangladesh relations find this booklet useful in enhancing their understandings of the partnership between Japan and Bangladesh.

Matsushiro Horiguchi
Ambassador of Japan
Dhaka, July 2005

(INDEX)
I. Ambassador's Messages in the E-Bulletin
II. Ambassador's Important Speeches
III. Ambassador's Message on the Emperor's Birthday in 2004
IV. Interview with Senior Vice Foreign Minister Aisawa
V. JBCCI Reports in the E-Bulletin
VI. List of Japan-related Organizations

* $10 billion Increase in Japan's ODA

Prime Minister Koizumi announced at the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, that Japan will seek a US$ 10 billion increase in its official development assistance (ODA) over the next five years.

Japan provides about US$8.9 in ODA in 2004. Keeping the current level, Japan will seek to add it by US$2 billion a year over the next five years.
(Press Conference by Prime Minister Koizumi)
http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/economy/summit/2005/press.html

* UN Reform: Priority Issues for Japan
The so-called Group of Four nations; Japan, Brazil, Germany and India, submitted "Draft Resolution on Security Council Reform" to the UN Secretariat on July 6. 23 nations including France cosponsored the resolution. It will be introduced to the General Assembly on July 11 and deliberations on the resolution will then follow.

In this connection, the Government of Japan announces the priority issues for Japan on the UN reform on the following website:
http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/un/reform/priority.html

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[5] Relay Essay by Japan Development Scholarship (JDS) Fellow
"Improving School Examinations in Bangladesh" (Mr. Ahmed Ehsan Ul Hannan, Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka)

I currently serve as research officer at Bangladesh Examinations Development Unit (BEDU), Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka, under Secondary Education Sector Improvement Project (SESIP).

As a lecturer, I teach in classroom and conduct examinations both internal and public. As a research officer of BEDU, the focus of my job is on the reform of examination and assessment which will be finished in 2006. It includes policy making of reformation, item development, providing teachers, moderators and markers with training, ensuring better assessment, maintaining standards and post examination analysis etc.

My research title is "QUEST: a new approach to the analysis of Multiple Choice items for valid assessment". A recent increase of secondary education in Bangladesh was attained at the expense of the quality of education.

As curriculum has been changed over time in order to achieve new study goals, examinations should be changed accordingly, which requires significant changes in the assessment sector as well.

Unless examination and assessment are improved dramatically, no curriculum change now under consideration will ever bring results. This means that standard examination practice should be replaced with the Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) to ensure that order cognitive skills are accurately evaluated.

Tests which measure a person's ability based on his/her knowledge are unsatisfactory, especially when item difficulty is neither measured, nor represented on any particular scale. The new MCQ items covering all the stages of cognitive domain with a developmental continuum are more difficult to write, and demand more careful preparation so that they are marked correctly. Schemes (known as RUBRICS in developed countries) and model answers need to be developed when such questions are set.

This paper will explore an alternative approach to the analysis of MCQ tests compiled with respect to a specification grid (Blue Print) related to content and skills. While the use of a specification grid makes items a reasonable test for students at an intermediate level, there are insufficient items for students at ahigher level.

I hope that I carry out my research effectively at Hiroshima University. I believe that my job experiences of more than six years in education cadre in Bangladesh, including two and a half years in secondary sector, are sufficient to pursue my research.

My research in Japan will help me bring about positive changes in education in Bangladesh. I will focus on "deliverables" related to improvement of pedagogy, quality of curricula and learning materials, assessment, student motivation, co-curricular activities and school management and community and system levels to improve the process of
teaching and learning.

I want to develop an integrated package of training for teachers, item setters, moderators and markers to realize valid, reliable and sustainable development of education. Through learning in Japan, I'll build regional and international connections, which will provide me with opportunities to collaborate with institutions and organizations in other countries including South Asia.

In order to achieve social and economic human development goals, I will underscore the importance of interface between education and development. My central goal is to build professional capabilities, strengthen knowledge and apply my skills and knowledge to practical development of education in line with national aspirations "Human Resource Development" and priorities in Bangladesh.

(Mr. Hannan is a JDS 2005 fellow and has left for Japan to study at Hiroshima University for two years.) (Japan Development Scholarship for Bangladesh)
http://www.jice.org/english/jds/bangladesh_org.html

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Embassy of Japan
Plot No. 5 & 7, Dutabash Road,
Baridhara, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Phone (880-2)881-0087
FAX (880-2)882-6737
http://www.bd.emb-japan.go.jp/