Business compliance and skilled manpower

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Haider Ahmed Khan The piece of news relating to the sector which contributes the most to our foreign currency earnings which appeared in the Financial Express (FE) the other day, is quite heartening. News relating to our readymade garments (RMG) export business is being highlighted in recent times in the USA and Europe. This is important for us and also an alarming signal for our economy. Because our foreign currency is mainly coming from RMG export. Foreign currency is very much essential for our economy because the latter is mainly based on imports. We have to import even green chilies some times. Our RMG sector is facing problems from various corners for last few years when world's leading buyers are much dependent upon our suppliers--we are second only to China. The USA and European countries are the main buyers of our readymade garments. Buyers are choosing our suppliers for economic costing. A businessman makes a deal with another businessman only when both the parties receive benefit from the deal. A consumer also buys a product or service at the point of full satisfaction. Every free market economy sustains by itself. Government is the policy maker and is responsible for infrastructure development. All the elements of production process (i.e. Man, Money and Materials) are essential for an economic transaction in a society. Man is the most important element. Because a machine can't run without the help of man but a man can create or produce a product or service by himself even being an illiterate. The economy of a country will move forward if its population is skilled and literate. There is no alternative to skilled manpower. An illiterate man can be a successful politician, even a minister but the cabinet secretary must be educated and have some special knowledge. A rickshaw-puller doesn't need to be so skilled while a pilot must have special knowledge which comes through some academic process. Education is the only way to improve the individual capacity. Education policy and its implementation is the key factor for improvement of a country. The external stakeholders of our economy are frequently advising and giving their reactions. We are bound to hear and oblige. We don't know the reaction of our national leaders. As a freedom fighter and a conscious citizen of the society, I feel ashamed. I think I must apologise to my kids for being a failure freedom fighter. The news published on January 18, 2013 in the FE is "Yet 40 per cent of the population lives under the poverty line of $1.25 a day. The workers, 85 per cent are women, have a minimum wage of $37 a month and are often forcibly prevented from forming trade unions." Points highlighted are about the daily income, production atmosphere and the right to form trade union of the garments workers. Sustainable remuneration policy is difficult to implement if the people cannot prove themselves worthy for it. Most of our people are poor and illiterate. We must improve their lifestyle by ensuring their right of having proper food, shelter, education and medicine, as their fundamental rights ensured by our Constitution. But our economic condition is not that favourable to support our people with their basic rights. We embarked on free market economy before the formation of capital in the society. There is a saying that "Nurse the baby, protect the child and free the adults". We are still the 'baby' in the free market. But the world leaders are expecting that all the rights and privileges must be ensured for our illiterate workers. Though we lack the capacity to improve, our businessmen are trying to establish their business houses to compete with the world business partners. Some accidents have occurred due to ignorance and non-capacity, which are not acceptable by any means for any capital loss. We cannot accept any argument for our 124 people who lost their life. The beneficiary should compensate their loss. But mind that we have to fulfill the demand of the society. We must take appropriate steps for the improvement of the capacity of mass people. Minimum wage will increase only after the improvement of knowhow. That can be possible through proper education. One half of our population are illiterate and poor. They have no capacity to invest in education. Issue of survival is more important than education for a poor people. Now the world is called a 'village'. Everybody is with everyone. Developed countries have a lot of programmes for the under-privileged people of other parts of the world. Our government has followed a plan called "millennium development goal (MDG)" to reduce the number of penny-less people. In spite of having too many plans, even after 42 years of independence, 40 per cent of our people are under poverty level and near about 50 per cent of people are illiterate. We are trying to improve their economic condition without ensuring proper and quality education. We have 80,000 primary educational institutions for around 19.3 million enlisted school-going kids. We are trying to educate them but actual position is shameful. According to the news published in a daily newspaper, the condition of 295 primary schools in the capital city of Dhaka is so bad and quality of education in these institutions is so poor that nobody is interested to get admitted into these government primary schools. A man can increase his capacity through proper education only. Lots of foreigners are working in the private sector in Bangladesh. An illiterate man has no capacity for getting appointed to a skilled post. He is a candidate for relief and sympathy. Relief and aid are main hindrance to any individual's becoming self-reliant. Growth of gross domestic product (GDP) will be achieved without creating new jobs and additional wealth in the society. We have to take proper steps to improve our next generation of 19.3 million (1.93 crore) kids of primary schools who will be the next executives of our businesses. If we can ensure hundred per cent quality education for the students of class one in the year 2013 and class one and two in the year 2014 and such on, it will require five years for any nation to be on track of improvement. The businessmen will be bound to improve the business environment for the continuation of theie businesses. The government will oversee the compliance only. The writer is an FCS. akc@bol-online.com