Like many countries, we have been blessed with natural resources as well as an abundance of human resource. Countries like Japan severely lack in natural resources. Japan has been plagued with natural disasters since time immemorial. Moreover, Japan has been devastated in World War II in every sense of the word.
However, in the last 60 years, the nation has turned itself around and is now considered to be among the world’s top raking economic superpowers. And it was able to do so simply by efficiently utilizing the most valuable resource at its disposal, i.e., its human resource of skilled and hardworking labor force.
Bangladesh is unique in being blessed with a vast human resource pool compared to its landmass. But unlike Japan, we have not been able to fully utilize the resources in the last 40 years of independence. Previous administrations have repeatedly failed the youth of our nation. However, the current government is now taking steps to remedy this situation to the best of their abilities.
The problem of unemployed youth is one of the most pressing matters in our country. Bangladesh is rich in human resource, i.e., a majority of our population consists of young people under 30. It is a shame for us, that despite consistent efforts on part of the present government, we are not able to help provide employment opportunities for these youths.
Not only is their potential and their talent wasted, moreover, these youths get so frustrated with lack of opportunities that many of them get involved in criminal activities. Many talented and gifted students are unable to pursue higher studies or receive skill enhancement due to poverty and other socio-economic factors. The unemployment of our youth is undoubtedly detrimental for society and must be addressed as soon as possible.
The unemployment rates in Bangladesh have gone down since 2009, and since 2013 the rates have consistently fallen each year. But according to a report titled “Asia-Pacific Employment and Social Outlook 2018” Bangladesh has the second highest educated unemployment rate among 28 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The report states that while overall unemployment has gone down in recent years, youth unemployment rates have been on the rise.
Experts have been stumped with these results as Bangladesh is slowly transitioning into a middle income country. Logically, the demand for skilled labor should be on the rise. However, the unemployment rates among the youth seem to indicate otherwise. One of the reasons is the lack of institutions which offer training for marketable skills. Many also lack access to skills and training due to socio-economic factors.
Research by World Vision Bangladesh claimed in 2018 that one in ten of the country’s 44 million-strong youth population faces unemployment. The research also stated that 72% of the youth population of Bangladesh is interested in receiving vocational training to help them gain employment. But there has been a huge gap in supply and demand of such training.
The present government has taken multiple initiatives in order to reduce the unemployment rates in our country. Particularly of importance is the government’s unending dedication to women empowerment. Majority of young girls and adolescents are at a disadvantage when it comes to access to education. Often they have to forego their education due to cultural norms and expectations. However, these initiatives have been a blessing for those underprivileged women who are now financially independent and self-reliant.
Since 2009, the government has been running a project titled Self Employment and Poverty Alleviation (SEPA) under Bangladesh Industrial Technical Assistance Centre (BITAC). A total of 24,840 adolescents have graduated in last ten years from the various 90-day courses offered to them under this project.
The government had taken this initiative for underprivileged adolescents who predominantly live in various city slums. Due to their poor economic and social backgrounds, these adolescents do not have access to formal education, training and therefore are unable to get jobs. Often they end up begging on the streets, or getting involved in illegal trades. The adolescents under the program are given quality education, as well as a range of livelihood skills in order to reintegrate them in society.
Under the project, a total of 300 applicants between the ages of 18 to 30 are selected for each batch to take part in the free training programme for skill development. After 10 successful years of this programme, SEPA is expected to be extended for another five years.
SEPA offers 9 topics for females and 3 for male students including making plastic utensils, repairing electrical appliances, tailoring as well as wielding, refrigeration and maintenance of electrical appliances.
This needs to be said that the youth of our country are the most under-utilized resource that we have at our disposal. With proper training and guidelines, the youth of Bangladesh will become invaluable in the development of the country. Integrating the young people of our country into the workforce will be a huge boost for our economy. The crime rates in our country will also drop significantly as frustrated youths will no longer have to resort to desperate measures to make ends meet.
Mobilizing the youths in rural and underdeveloped areas can lead to speedy growth of those regions. As a result, foreign investment is also likely to trickle in. There is also demand for skilled workers in many developed nations. If we are able to properly groom and qualify our youth force for jobs abroad, the amount of national remittance will increase exponentially without a doubt.
Even before the inception of our nation, the youth have been a revolutionary force, capable of bringing great change and transforming society. It was the youth of our country that fought for our right to speak in our own mother tongue in 1971. It was the youth that fought so valiantly in the independence war in 1971. And in recent times, it was the youth yet again that brought the nation to a standstill in demand for road safety.
In this day and age of the fourth industrial revolution, our youth holds the key to making Bangladesh a global force to reckon with. The young people of our country, who are in their prime, should be playing a significant role in the workforce and national revenue.
Alongside providing education and technical skills, the government should also fund programs specifically for digital skills such as coding and app development. The government’s vision of a digital Bangladesh will only be realized with help of our talented youngsters.
Our youth must also be instilled with work ethic and sincerity, along with a strong sense of patriotism to guide them. Without these qualities, development will always be slow and progress will lose out to corruption and human greed.
The writer is working with Bangladesh Post.