Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni on Sunday said vocational education will be made compulsory from class VI to VII in all schools of the country from 2021.

She said this while addressing a workshop organised by Dhaka Divisional Commissioner’s office on ‘Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals at Local Level’ at International Mother Language Institute in the capital.

Dipu Moni said, “Every school must have at least two trades where each student will choose one. If any student fails to complete higher education, he or she must find a way to get employed under this programme.”

The government has already started reforming the education system to develop this sector, she added.

The minister said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had asked for allocating four percent of GDP in the national budget for education. “We couldn’t yet reach that level.”

State Minister for Shipping Ministry Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Planning Commission’s Senior Secretary Dr Shamsul Alam, journalist Shyamol Dutta and Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul were present at the event held with Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Mohammad Joynul Bari in the chair.