Bangladesh to Use IT Fund to Bankroll Blockchain Education for Graduates

The Bangladesh government will use money from its $208 million IT project fund to send graduates for blockchain training in Japan and India.

Bangladesh authorities plan to send 100 new IT graduates abroad to boost expertise in the fields of distributed ledger technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning and cyber security, Bangladesh’s English-language newspaper The Daily Star reports Aug. 4.

As a part of the initiative, the government will also send 200 graduates of computer science and software, electrical and electronic engineering to learn about future trends of information technology, the report notes.

The program description is available on the official website of Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority, where candidates can apply. According to The Daily Star, candidates under age 32 will be required to take an exam with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division in order to qualify.

Per the report, the program will be bankrolled by a governmental fund created in association with an Indian line of credit to establish 12 district ICT and hi-tech parks. Worth 17.96 billion Bangladeshi taka ($208 million), the project’s fund was reportedly launched for implementation in July 2017, and will last until June 2020.

Institutions of higher learning around the world have been prioritizing education and developing programs in distributed ledger technology. In June, the Canada-based University of British Columbia announced a blockchain and distributed ledger technology training program for Master’s and PhD students.

Last week, Ripple partnered with Kyoto University and the University of Tokyo as part of its University Blockchain Research Initiative. The University of Tokyo will award scholarships to students doing blockchain research, while its economics department arranges seminars on blockchain and settlement. At Kyoto University, graduate students are conducting blockchain-related research in the areas of remittances and supply chain management, among other spheres.