Platform for students to analyse economic scenarios

Youth Economists' Forum (YEF), one of the leading clubs of North South University, is all set to organise EconFest 4.0, which will be a day-long event consisting of several sessions. The event will include two competitions titled 'Speakonomics Senior' and 'Speakonomics Junior'; and 'Experts' Dialogue'- a sit-down dialogue among renowned experts of the industry, which also includes a Q & A session. The theme for the event this year is 'Education in Bangladesh', where the participants will be required to evaluate and analyse higher education system of the country.
About the organisers
Young Economists' Forum (YEF) was created in 1998 with the purpose of brewing exceptional ideas in young economists' minds and creating a platform for them to explore their potentials. Since its inception the club has continued to be an embodiment of the creativity and the exuberant spirit of youths. In November 2017, YEF welcomed their new faculty advisor Muntasir Mamun Iqbal, lecturer-Department of Economics, School of Business and Economics, North South University, to spearhead the club. He joined with the concise and efficient statement of 'working together to reach newer heights', his introduction to the club has seen revitalisation of the energy surrounding YEF. Not only has the clubroom been renovated, the members themselves have gained momentum from this tactical 'breath of fresh air'. With a new guide to lead them, students look into the core values of YEF, and how they propose to continue on their path.
The mission of the club has always been to provide a platform for the youths to increase their exposure to current local and global economic concerns, as well as encourage the formulation of creative solutions for said concerns. Working towards this mission, the forum organises several events throughout the year such as EconProdigy, EconFest, Skills Development Programme etc. YEF's events invite experts from various fields of economics, from renowned academics to successful professionals. During these events the students interact with the experts and are provided a stage to voice their concerns and queries about our economy.
Alongside these events, YEF has an annual publication, the 'Equilibrium', and a tri-annual publication the YEF 'Chronicle', both of which include student articles alongside research papers, and interviews by prominent experts on various economic issues that concern our nation. The combined effect of these efforts is to provide crucial exposure to real-world scenarios to the current generation of students. The ultimate goal has always been to prepare them for the tribulations of life outside the walls of an educational institution.
The long-term vision of the club is to encourage formations of the kind of economic think-tanks that enrich our nation's ability to overcome hurdles and expand our horizons to move towards sustainable development. The forum's vision is to provide the nation with the kind of leaders that can take it forward with their innovation and dynamism. Empowering the student body of Bangladesh is at the core of YEF.
The next step for the club would be to establish a proper network of communication with other similar clubs abroad. In the modern era of globalisation such a vision is not unrealistic. Rather, it is a pragmatic goal which the club plans to achieve in future. In faculty advisor Mr. Iqbal's own words, "The way forward may be getting tougher as the club gets bigger and the stakes get higher, but I believe together we can see the continued rise and success of YEF."
About EconFest 4.0
With the mission of the club in mind, YEF has announced the fourth installment of EconFest to be held on April 4, 2018. Of the two competitions of EconFest 4.0, Speakonomics Senior is an inter-university paper presentation competition. Undergraduate students will present abstracts of their research papers on whether higher education is an effective way to close the twenty-first century skills gap in Bangladesh. The topic challenges writers and aspiring economists to delve into the analysis of higher education and its potential in bridging market gaps.
On the other hand, we have Speakonomics Junior, which is an inter-school paper presentation competition for school students all across Dhaka city. The topic for Speakonomics Junior this year is 'Do school enrollment rates reflect the quality of education in Bangladesh? Which of the two should we prioritise?' It focuses on the critical assessment of the quality of education at school level and the effect of enrollment on quality. The competition aims to promote quality economic research among students and young aspiring economists.
The call for papers of the event has been announced already, and the deadline for submission is March 28, 2018. Papers will be collected via e-mail and the best papers will be selected by the faculty of the economics department at NSU. These participants- from both Speakonomics Senior and Junior will then be called to present their papers.
The writer of the best paper of Speakonomics Senior will receive a monetary prize of Tk 40,000, while the second best paper Tk 20,000, and the third best paper Tk 10,000. The writer of the best paper of Speakonomics Junior will have their essay published in the 'Chronicle', alongside receiving a Tk 20,000 monetary prize.

The writer is a student at North South University and team leader of Academic Practices at Young Economists' Forum (YEF). She can be reached at [email protected]