Fadlil Gopalganj Correspondent : Despite a significant staff shortage, the Rural Development Academy (RDA) in Kotalipara, Gopalganj has trained over 500,000 unemployed individuals — including men, women, youth, and persons with disabilities — in various technical trades since its inception.
According to academy sources, the project was initiated on a 40-acre site in late 2011 and completed in June 2020. However, activities at the site began earlier, in 1997, as a training complex under the Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB). The primary objective of the academy is to offer hands-on training to underprivileged people across 21 districts in the country’s southwestern region to alleviate poverty.
Under the completed project, the academy has been equipped with two 10-storey and two 6-storey buildings, two modern auditoriums with 200 and 300 seats, male and female hostels, a VIP guesthouse, director’s bungalow, office complex, exhibition center, dining hall, mosque, staff quarters, and workshops.
The 10-storey buildings can accommodate 2,500 trainees simultaneously across 19 training venues, with residential facilities for 540 trainees.
Sirajul Islam, son of Motaher Pyada from Gosairhat upazila in Shariatpur, went to Malaysia for work but struggled due to a lack of technical skills. With low pay and limited prospects, he returned home after a year. After learning about RDA from a neighbor, he enrolled in the Electrical House Wiring trade course. Just one month into the training, Sirajul is hopeful for better job opportunities abroad.
A visit to the RDA’s training facilities found many like Sirajul. Asif from Charkathi (Kotalipara), Sudarshan Sarkar from Faridpur, Sabuj Bepari from Madaripur, and Ashiq from Jhenaidah are among 80 trainees currently enrolled in the same trade.
In the ground floor of the same building, women are receiving Embroidery and Tailoring training. Muslimah Khatun from Jhenaidah, Sarsomoni Hajra from Bagerhat, and Tumpa Bala from Dacope shared that they have already completed one month of the two-month course. Many of them can now stitch garments and are planning to open tailoring shops in their communities.
Wide Range of Trades Offered
The academy currently offers training in 20 trades, including:
- Graphics Design
- Freelancing
- Computer Skills
- Modern Agriculture
- Fish Farming
- Electrical House Wiring
- Plumbing
- Mobile Servicing
- Tailoring and Embroidery
- Block and Batik Printing
Between 2011 and June 2025, the academy has trained nearly 500,000 people across these areas.
Financial & Research Achievements
Joint Director of RDA, Mohammad Tozammel Haque, revealed that the academy has earned 36 million BDT to date — including 20 lakh from agricultural product sales, 40 lakh from auditorium rentals, and 3 crore from hostel accommodations.
He also noted that beyond training, the academy has completed 36 applied and social research projects, aimed at increasing rural incomes. These include innovative work in floating vegetable farming, summer onion and barley cultivation, sea-coast buffalo farming, and others — many of which have seen notable success.
Staff Shortage Remains a Barrier
Out of 100 approved positions, only 65 are filled, with 16 additional staff currently working through outsourcing arrangements. Officials believe that filling the remaining vacancies would significantly increase the academy’s capacity to serve more people and expand its revenue.
Tozammel Haque emphasized that a trained workforce not only secures employment both at home and abroad but also becomes entrepreneurs, generating jobs for others. “By addressing our staffing shortage, we can multiply our impact,” he said.
