Published: 11:43 PM, 24 September 2026
Skills Like Hairdressing, Manicure, Podiatry Should Be Taught Academically
In Bangladesh, education is traditionally associated with classrooms, textbooks, degrees, and white-collar professions. Parents often encourage their children to become doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, or government officials. Meanwhile, practical skills such as hairdressing, manicure, pedicure, podiatry, beauty therapy, tailoring, and other personal-care services are frequently viewed as less prestigious. This attitude needs to change.
Skills-based education should be given a proper place in Bangladesh's academic and vocational education system. Hairdressing, manicure, pedicure, and foot-care services are not simply matters of appearance. They require technical knowledge, hygiene, communication, customer service, creativity, and professional discipline. With structured education and recognized qualifications, these occupations can become respectable and financially sustainable careers.
Bangladesh has a large young population and faces the continuing challenge of creating sufficient employment opportunities for new workers. Academic degrees alone cannot guarantee employment. Many graduates struggle to find jobs because they lack practical experience and marketable skills. Expanding skills-based education could help bridge this gap by preparing young people for occupations that have real demand in both domestic and international markets.
Hairdressing, for example, requires knowledge of hair structure, skin health, sanitation, chemicals, tools, styling techniques, and safety procedures. Similarly, professional manicure and pedicure services require training in nail care, hygiene, infection prevention, and the identification of conditions that may require medical attention. Podiatry, which focuses on the health of the feet and lower limbs, involves specialized knowledge and should be taught under appropriate professional and health-care standards.
Bangladesh can develop specialized courses through technical schools, colleges, training institutes, and universities. Students could receive certificates, diplomas, or degrees based on their level of training. Practical examinations and internships could ensure that qualifications reflect genuine competence rather than merely classroom attendance.
Such education could also support entrepreneurship. A trained young person could establish a salon, beauty-care center, foot-care clinic, or mobile personal-care service instead of waiting years for a traditional office job. With access to financing and business training, skilled workers could create employment for others as well.
