Expediting actions for setting up hi-tech parks

It has already taken too long a time for the high-tech park at Kaliakoir to get off the ground. Conceived more than one and a half decades ago, the project is intended to be a pace-setter for information communication technology (ICT)-based development activities in the country. A pool of qualified IT-skilled personnel would be trained up here with the required infrastructural support facilities and this would facilitate expansion of IT export market. But no substantive progress has as yet been made to translate that 'vision' into a reality. The park was designed to set up on 232 acres of land belonging to the Kaliakoir Surface Satellite Station. After a decade-long hibernation, the project got some momentum in 2009. The World Bank, particularly its private sector-supportive affiliate body --  the International Finance Corporation (IFC)  -- together with UK's DFID, announced their back-up for this venture. It was then paraded as a flag-ship project to help attract domestic and foreign investment to the sector, create jobs and help accelerate growth. Things have since been moving at a snail's pace. However, a contract has recently been awarded to a private sector firm for developing facilities that are usually found at such high-tech parks. This may indicate that the authorities have at last decided to execute the project without any further delay.    

So far so good. The Kaliakoir park, when it is implemented, is projected to create employment opportunities for 60,000 IT personnel. The government has meanwhile taken some other initiatives such as Jessore Software Technology Park, Mohakhali IT Village in Dhaka, Sylhet Electronic City, Barendra Silicon City in Rajshahi and Natore Freelancer Institute, to attain its vision of Digital Bangladesh. The prime minister had even declared earlier that each of the country's districts would have a hi-tech park. However, the procrastination with the work of the Kaliakoir park hardly provides any logical ground to anyone to be optimistic about the afore-mentioned projects becoming operational anytime soon. Hence, the government does need to set a strict time-frame for the builders to complete such projects. Penalty clause needs to be included in agreements regarding construction  for any delay in the process of their execution.

Apropos the expansion and diversification of the IT industry in this country is concerned, a greater emphasis on learning of English in schools and colleges to reap IT-enabled dividends is a critical need. English is unquestionably the world's only international language. It is the currency through which knowledge is traded these days. If Bangladesh returns to its bilingual roots, it will certainly do wonders for the nation's education, business and development. These days educated Japanese men and women speak English nearly as flawlessly as the natives. So do the Chinese, the Russians and citizens of just about every other nation, having an advanced economy.