Diplomatic Correspondent: Bangladesh and Google have explored a potential long-term partnership covering education modernisation, artificial intelligence (AI), digital skills, cloud computing, cybersecurity and responsible use of technology.

A high-level Bangladesh ministerial delegation visited Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, on September 28 and held discussions with senior executives and specialists of the technology giant. The visit was facilitated by the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Los Angeles.

The delegation was led by Adviser to the Prime Minister for Finance and Planning Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Boby Hajjaj, Adviser to the Prime Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and Science and Technology Rehan Asif Asad, Protocol Officer-2 to the Prime Minister Kamrul Islam and Deputy Press Secretary-1 to the Prime Minister Md Jahidul Islam were also part of the delegation.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Tareq Md Ariful Islam and Consul General of Bangladesh in Los Angeles Kazi Muhammad Jabed Iqbal also participated in the meeting.

The Google team was led by Divya Jani, Vice President, Strategy and Operations, Google for Education. Other Google executives and specialists, including Mara Ritucci, Abu Saleh, Grace Kelly and Maria Tubio, took part in the discussions.

A major focus of the meeting was the possible use of Google’s education technologies and AI to modernise Bangladesh’s education system, strengthen teachers and improve learning outcomes.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam stressed the importance of developing a long-term Bangladesh-Google partnership in skills development, institutional capacity building and responsible technology use.

She highlighted the need to ensure that such cooperation delivers practical benefits for Bangladesh’s large and growing young population.

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Boby Hajjaj presented Bangladesh’s priorities for modernising primary education. These include curriculum development, teacher training, digital connectivity, improved monitoring and technology-enabled learning.

The two sides discussed the possible development of an integrated digital education ecosystem covering Learning and School Management Systems, student assessment, digital educational content and technology-based school inspection and monitoring.

They also discussed possible cooperation in AI-supported teacher training, digital safety, teacher certification and the responsible use of AI in classrooms.

Google representatives shared international experiences in teacher training, AI-supported learning and measuring educational outcomes.

The discussions included Google Workspace for Education, Google Classroom and Gemini for Education, as well as training and certification programmes aimed at strengthening teachers and other education professionals.

The Bangladesh side also explored ways to use technology to expand learning opportunities and improve the quality and effectiveness of education across the country.

Adviser Rehan Asif Asad highlighted opportunities for cooperation with Google in AI, virtual learning, cloud computing, cybersecurity and data science.

He proposed structured training opportunities for students, teachers, professionals and young people, stressing that sustainable partnerships would be important for building Bangladesh’s technological capacity.

The discussions therefore went beyond education and touched on the broader digital transformation of Bangladesh, including the development of technology skills needed for the future workforce.

Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir stressed the importance of linking education, technology and skills development with employment, productivity and sustainable economic growth.

He highlighted the potential to develop a globally competitive talent pool in Bangladesh and to create locally relevant AI and digital content.

Particular emphasis was placed on developing Bangla-language AI capabilities that can better reflect Bangladesh’s history, culture and social context.

The meeting also covered Bangladesh’s rapidly growing YouTube creator ecosystem.

The Bangladesh delegation discussed opportunities to take Bangladeshi education, culture, entrepreneurship and creative content to international audiences through digital platforms.

The Bangladesh side also highlighted the importance of developing creator skills, promoting responsible content, ensuring digital safety and creating sustainable opportunities for monetisation.

The discussions concluded with an interest in establishing working groups between Google and relevant Bangladesh government authorities.

The proposed working groups would identify priority initiatives and develop measurable areas of cooperation in education, AI, digital skills, cloud computing, cybersecurity and responsible digital content.

The Consulate General of Bangladesh in Los Angeles, which facilitated the visit, is expected to coordinate follow-up discussions with Google and relevant ministries and agencies in Bangladesh.

The objective will be to turn the discussions into concrete proposals and implementation pathways, potentially opening a broader new phase of cooperation between Bangladesh and Google in education and digital transformation.