Records and Archives Management Education and Training Opportunities in Bangladesh

Introduction

Education is the process by which the intellect is trained and it is the cultivation of intellectual powers. Education is a social process by which a society and a nation impart and transmit knowledge on life and society. Education is not static but dynamic and it evolves with changing needs, hopes and aspirations of the individuals and the society (Munshi, 2008). A society is gradually transformed by modernization and a balanced emphasis is given on liberal as well as special education. One very important branch of specialized education is professional education, which prepares a particular human being for a specific profession/ job. Katuu (2015) proposed that the strengthening of graduate level education as well as participation in global research to mitigate against risks in the quality of RAM education and training.

The rapid proliferation of information has triggered a heavy demand on the organizer and disseminator of knowledge, universally known as librarians and/or information professionals or record keepers or archivists. Libraries or records and archives are important social institutions. No community is considered complete without a library or records and archival institution (Rahman, Khatun and Islam, 2008). Therefore, the diverse and changing needs of each society reflect on the current trends in library education and training (Chisita, 2009; Ahmed, 1981). The spread of democracy, the extension of education, the intensification of research activities and the rapid increase in the production of recorded knowledge, have led to expansion of libraries and the development of their services. The communication of ideas is one of the most significant achievements in the cultural development of the human race. The library or record and archival institution is one of the many means of human communication (Johnson, 1973) and is an important centre for disseminating knowledge. Education and training for records and archives management (RAM) professionals has taken a new direction in the face of far-reaching developments sparked off by the trend towards globalization (Tsabedze and Ngoepe, 2020).

The purpose of this chapter is to contextualize the records and archives management (RAM) education and training opportunities in Bangladesh with a view to identify the opportunities and challenges ahead in this endeavour. It will specifically look at the short term in-service RAM education provision as well as professional accredited long-term programs offered in the country.