Lagging behind in innovation

It's sad to be self-critical when it involves national development.Criticism is also necessary to make progress. What comes to mind while thinking about our state of innovation is complacency, which has left us far behind many nations.We don't feel good when we see Bangladesh's position is at 116th among 131 countries in innovation ranking by the UN World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The country has scored less than 25 per cent marks in innovation.
However, the ICT and telecommunications minister has reportedly said that there are projects on innovation. He blamed weakness in patent. If relevant law is amended, the country's position could be elevated. What has not been adequately emphasised over the years is the quality of education. Thankfully, there are a lot of Bangladeshi talents who proved their abilities abroad. We need to create an atmosphere of competition in offering quality education at home.
Mantasha Islam
Mirpur, Dhaka
[email protected]