Harnessing youths\\\' potential for development

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Sazedul Islam | Published: July 19, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

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Young people in any country represent the future of that country. They have a vital role to play in the development of the country - a duty they must perform. There are many ways that youth can contribute to national development. They can do so by working hard in any field they are involved in, be it the teaching, mechanic, or farming field.
The youths' responsibility towards national development cannot be over-emphasised given the fact that they are the backbone of any society that wishes to prosper in terms of economy and culture. The energy, the agility, the swiftness of thought and indeed, the physical manpower are the characteristics that make the youthful age more interesting than any stage of human existence. Youth population is the life wire of any society and the force behind a developed nation. Therefore, if the skill of this agile population is positively harnessed, a nation can be said to be on the right path. The skilled, young citizens of the country can help build a happy and prosperous nation.
We should instil values such as courage, patriotism in the young generation. It should be our duty to inculcate in young people a strong sense of national identity and civic responsibility, which will energise them to actively work for the betterment of society. There should be a platform for young people to develop skills and participate in the country's development process. And through this process, we aspire to fulfil the founding ideals of Bangladesh and create a just society.
The entire success of the nation depends on the youths. However, in order for continuous success to take place; it is the government's responsibility to provide the youth with proper facilities for, getting equipped with the knowledge of the modern era.
In Bangladesh, inequality is still prevailing. Nearly one-third of Bangladeshi youths are either unemployed or underemployed, leaving a large chunk of potential labour of the developing country unutilised or underutilised. The situation is worse in the case of female youths having a higher rate of unemployment than their male counterparts, in spite of their educational achievement, according to a media report.
Bangladesh, along with rest of the world, observed the World Population Day on July 11 this year with the theme "Invest in youth for a good future for all". The Day highlighted the importance of the youth in the nation building activities. Experts expressed the opinion that youths, aged between 15 and 29, who constitute over one-fourth of the total population, can be made into assets for the country if they are educated and trained well.
In our country, there are a number of successful youths who are contributing to the country's development. Their success stories might motivate other youths to become established in our society.      
Barrister Shehrin Salam Oishee is one of the successful and talent youths. She believes that hard work and determination is the key to success in life.  She is a lawyer, an entrepreneur and also involved in protecting the rights of the disabled and underprivileged section of people.    
Brilliant Shehrin, now 23, got published as a Barrister only at the age of 21. She earned the prestigious bar-at-law degree from "Lincoln's Inn", London. She has been practicing at the High Court over the last seven months. Shehrin is also the Director of the Envoy Group and the Envoy Textiles and Managing Director of the Packaging Aid.
Besides this, she is working as legal adviser of the Physically Challenged Development Foundation (PDF), an organisation dedicated to the welfare and upbringing of the disabled and underprivileged members of the society.
Shehrin, daughter of A Salam Murshedy, ex-national football star, Senior Vice-President, BFF, President, EAB, ex-president of BGMEA and the MD of Envoy Group, expressed hope to contribute to the country's development through engaging in the business sector.
 Shehrin is the eldest child and only daughter of her parents. She has two younger brothers. She is eager to contribute towards the establishment of human rights in the country and wants to do something for the country, especially for the women and the disabled. She thinks we all need to take challenges for reaching our goals.
Shehrin pinned her high hopes on the youth for the development of the country. Terming the age-group 20-30 as the golden period in life, she said they can contribute to the country's development if they are equipped with modern knowledge and skill.
If the youth are provided with time-befitting education and also scope to enhance their skill, they can make positive contribution and surely take the country towards development. Sometimes, young people are found to be engaged in anti-social and illegal activities, causing law and order problems.
Children should be brought up both with affection and discipline. Parents have a special role to teach as well as to discipline their children whilst being friendly as well, said Shehrin.  
Sometimes misguided by bad peers and surrounding atmosphere, a section of youth fall victim to social evils. Hence, they take drugs like yaba and phensidyl, which may eat away the vitality of health of the affected youth. All concerned should play active roles in saving the nation's future generation. It is in our national interest that the youth should be saved from social evils and be made worthy citizens. Otherwise, the country's future might be at stake.      
On the development issue, she said gender discrimination is a barrier to development in our country. Women are facing various obstacles. Many women in our society are still lagging behind in different sectors. We cannot achieve the goal of overall development excluding the half of country's total population. Negative attitude towards women is blamed for the deteriorating condition of women.
Atmosphere is not favourable for women. There is lack of scope and security for women in our country. If favourable atmosphere can be created, then there will be a good chance for their progress. Women in the developed countries feel secured even while working outside at the dead of night while that is not possible in Bangladesh. Women themselves should also come forward to establish their rights overcoming all the hurdles and difficulties. If our women get chance to play an active role, the pattern of lifestyle and society's perceptions are bound to be changed.
Citing the Constitution, the young lawyer said women's rights are protected under the broad and universal principles of equality. Article 10 of the constitution states that steps shall be taken to ensure participation of women in all spheres of national life. Article 28 (2) states that women shall have equal rights with men in all spheres of the State and of public life.
In addition, Bangladesh has specific laws prohibiting certain forms of violence on women and protecting their rights. However, despite such legal support, Bangladeshi women are still not receiving equal treatment in practice. Inequalities are common, for example: women in the informal sector are often paid at lower grades than men for the same work.
The government has realised the crucial fact that the country can never develop until and unless women who constitute more than half of the country's population are given fair chance to contribute to the development activities.  
The youth can play an effective role in eradicating all kinds of discrimination and injustice to ensure a rights-based society. If we can groom up our youth properly, may be ours will be a country where equality of all will be ensured.   
The writer is a journalist. He can be reached at sissabuj@yahoo.com