President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday stressed the need to improve textile education and research to produce internationally competitive engineers and specialists and reduce the sector’s dependence on foreign experts.

He made the remarks when a seven-member delegation led by Bangladesh University of Textiles (BUTEX) Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Julhas Uddin paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban.

MP from a reserved seat for women and BUTEX alumna Sanjida Islam was also present.

Describing textiles as one of the country’s major economic sectors, the president emphasised ensuring suitable employment opportunities at home and abroad for textile graduates.

This would help make proper use of the country’s skilled human resources while earning foreign currency, he said.

The president also underscored the need to increase domestic cotton production to meet the raw material requirements of the textile industry.

He called for taking initiatives to encourage farmers, explore ways to reduce production costs and strengthen coordination between the agriculture and textile sectors.

He further stressed the need for more research into extracting fibres from natural sources, including jute, pineapple leaves and banana plants, alongside the development of synthetic yarn.

During the meeting, the delegation briefed the president on BUTEX’s contributions to the development of the country’s textile and readymade garment industries, as well as its academic and research activities.

They also highlighted several issues requiring attention, including infrastructure development, the establishment of modern laboratories, recruitment of additional staff, the creation of a separate BCS (Textile) cadre, increased budgetary allocations and the allocation of land in Purbachal, Dhaka, for a second campus.

The president listened to their concerns and advised them to contact the relevant ministries to resolve the issues.

He also assured the delegation of his cooperation.

During the meeting, the VC invited the president, also the chancellor of the university, to preside over BUTEX’s second convocation, scheduled for March next year.

The president accepted the invitation and assured the delegation that he would attend the event.

Other members of the delegation included Prof Dr Md Ahsan Habib, dean of the Faculty of Textile Management and Business Studies; Prof Shilpi Akter, dean of the Faculty of Textile Engineering; Prof Dr Hasina Akhtar, dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering; Prof Dr Rasheda Begum Dina, dean of the Faculty of Textile Chemical Engineering; and Prof Dr Lamia Zahir of the Faculty of Fashion Design and Apparel Engineering.

The president's military secretary, secretary and press secretary were also present at the meeting.