A RECENT survey rightly indicated that unified and quality education system for all is imperative to turn today’s youth into skilled manpower for future Bangladesh. Ahead of the 11th National Election, the survey findings clearly echoed the youth voice who emphasised meritorious teacher recruitment at primary school to tertiary level with handsome salary packages for imparting quality education. Majority of the youths between 15 and 35 age bracket said that the new government should focus on ensuring quality education and employment opportunities. Though the majority in the demography, the youths are extremely unheard, unvalued and the worst victim of corruption, absence of the rule of law, division in the education system, and inequitable distribution of wealth and jobless economic growth.
The survey findings pointed that a majority of the youth, 49.8 per cent, want employment opportunities in public and private sectors while 36.4 per cent respondents of the sample opted for self-employment, for which they think training and access to capital at low interest are two major requisites. We see today’s youth are concerned at climate change vulnerability, rules of law, corruption and posture less interest in political participation, while politics worryingly become a nest of businessmen and vested groups.
It is indispensable that youth would focus on how they would thrive, and come to leadership positions in future. They should think of how the community or the country as a whole can grow, ensuring parity between different segments of the population. Talking about equality, experts pointed out some positive aspects that came out from the survey — the participants emphasised the need for elimination of disparity between urban and rural youths and men and women, and elimination of economic inequality.
The youth should be at the centre of all decision-making process and implementation of giant projects. Today’s youth are equipped with information technology knowledge and they are politically conscious and socially active.