Development and retention of human resource
Friday, 19 March 2010
Mohammad Ali
Of all economic resources, human resource is of greater value for a country keen to achieve economic growth and development. Japan, a country without natural resources, is a glaring example. It became the world's second biggest economy in the post-World War II period singularly due to the great technical know-how of its workforce. That is why economists stress on the creation of human resources by a country for making economic progress.
Bangladeshi policy planners do not fully ignore human resources development. Indeed, a big part of the country's education budget goes for subsidising human resource development in medical science, engineering, agriculture and other sectors. But a recent international report has highlighted the problem of 'brain drain' from Bangladesh and other least developed countries (LDCs). The related chapter on Bangladesh shows how this phenomenon is affecting the country. It states that 65 per cent of new medical graduates in Bangladesh seek jobs abroad for which it loses 200 doctors from the government hospitals each year.
The public sector medical education in Bangladesh in Bangladesh gets financial support from the government. The taxpayers pay a lot to educate a doctor. But he or she leaves the country for good at the first available opportunity. This is not peculiar to the medical profession. The beneficiaries of subsidized education in other fields, including engineering, computer education and agricultural science, do the same.
Bangladesh faces a big challenge in retaining human resources created at much costs to the exchequer. This problem must be addressed effectively and at the earliest. Otherwise, Bangladesh will continue to develop human resources for the benefit of other countries. This must not be allowed to go on. All professionals who received subsidized education should be obliged to give an undertaking that they would remain and serve in the country for a stipulated number of years. There should be barriers for senior specialist professionals from leaving the country for employment abroad. At the same time, government could create opportunities to improve the earnings of professionals. It would act as an incentive to serve the country.
Another big challenge is making uptodate syllabuses, training modules and facilities to develop between resource. At a recent international conference on human resources management and development, the speakers pointed out the inadequacy or absence of facilities for state-of-the-art facilities for educating and training professionals. There is also a dearth of facilities for studies in special subjects of growing demand or application. The situation calls for an action-based plan, on a clearly defined policy, to develop human resources in Bangladesh comparable to that of any other country.
Of all economic resources, human resource is of greater value for a country keen to achieve economic growth and development. Japan, a country without natural resources, is a glaring example. It became the world's second biggest economy in the post-World War II period singularly due to the great technical know-how of its workforce. That is why economists stress on the creation of human resources by a country for making economic progress.
Bangladeshi policy planners do not fully ignore human resources development. Indeed, a big part of the country's education budget goes for subsidising human resource development in medical science, engineering, agriculture and other sectors. But a recent international report has highlighted the problem of 'brain drain' from Bangladesh and other least developed countries (LDCs). The related chapter on Bangladesh shows how this phenomenon is affecting the country. It states that 65 per cent of new medical graduates in Bangladesh seek jobs abroad for which it loses 200 doctors from the government hospitals each year.
The public sector medical education in Bangladesh in Bangladesh gets financial support from the government. The taxpayers pay a lot to educate a doctor. But he or she leaves the country for good at the first available opportunity. This is not peculiar to the medical profession. The beneficiaries of subsidized education in other fields, including engineering, computer education and agricultural science, do the same.
Bangladesh faces a big challenge in retaining human resources created at much costs to the exchequer. This problem must be addressed effectively and at the earliest. Otherwise, Bangladesh will continue to develop human resources for the benefit of other countries. This must not be allowed to go on. All professionals who received subsidized education should be obliged to give an undertaking that they would remain and serve in the country for a stipulated number of years. There should be barriers for senior specialist professionals from leaving the country for employment abroad. At the same time, government could create opportunities to improve the earnings of professionals. It would act as an incentive to serve the country.
Another big challenge is making uptodate syllabuses, training modules and facilities to develop between resource. At a recent international conference on human resources management and development, the speakers pointed out the inadequacy or absence of facilities for state-of-the-art facilities for educating and training professionals. There is also a dearth of facilities for studies in special subjects of growing demand or application. The situation calls for an action-based plan, on a clearly defined policy, to develop human resources in Bangladesh comparable to that of any other country.