Preparing the youth for development
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Ripan Kumar Biswas
Barack Obama praised young people as much as he could in his victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park after winning the presidential election, which thrust him into the White House: "It was the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy, who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep."
Time has changed, and the way we engage with issues that matter to us has changed too. Young people are the ones who can change the world because they have the vision of a better world, the energy to try, and the motivation to change. They are tomorrow's world leaders and are in touch with social development of the world more than ever. The future has always been considered to be in the hands of young people.
A recently revealed survey by the British-Council-commissioned in Dhaka indicated that the three-quarters of the youth in Bangladesh are not interested in politics. The first-ever nationwide survey titled "Bangladesh: The Next Generation," interviewed 2,166 young people between the age of 15 and 30 at their work, educational institutes and homes in 2009 and three in every four young people disagreed with the statement, "I am interested in politics." However, one-third said they should be involved in politics. Apart their political stands and thinking, sixty percent of them fear that the level of corruption will worsen in the next five years.
It seems the new generation is politically inactive. Though many young people in Bangladesh care about politics and want to make things happen, but today, for a lot of young people, political parties in Bangladesh hardly work on common issues. Lots of young people have opinions and views, but they're not necessarily party-political ones. According to the survey, seventy nine percent are interested in development and common issues. Foreign Minister Dipu Moni is right. It was their decision to elect the present government because young people in Bangladesh are hopeful and want to bring the change and want to focus on development issues.
"I do not believe that the youth do not have any capacity to influence decision-making," she said at a recent function at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.
Young people are always sceptical about politics in general and feel disillusioned. Politicians in Bangladesh rarely tell the entire truth.
They usually concentrate on what they want to concentrate on, which aren't necessarily the same things that matter to ordinary people. The decisions that the government makes affect everyone, but most of the time it's very hard to find any difference between any of the political parties and people don't believe things will necessarily improve whoever's in power. People want to believe that whoever is in government would act in their best interest that they'd take on board the issues that affect everyone.
According to the survey, young people are happy in the country, but a large portion of them would prefer to live abroad for education facilities and better job opportunities. If a country sees that its youth are migrating to countries that have more favorable policies for youth, the country should to bring changes in its own policies. For instance, thirty years ago, many South Koreans were seeking opportunities to live and work abroad. But now, it's very hard to recruit them to work at the World Bank outside of Korea. India saw in the past five years return of its highly skilled people in large number from abroad. As Indians, they are eager to have the opportunity to develop their careers in their own country.
For most young people, the most important thing is that their education is safe and free from volatile political practices. As much as 36 percent of the respondents in the survey said they believe student politics has a detrimental effect on educational institutions. Education in Bangladesh is being hijacked to serve gross political interests.
There are plenty of issues they care about, like prospect of getting a job, securing free transport for young people, improving the benefit system, and improving the economy. They are very sensitive about politicians' false promises and their wrong doings and criminal offences.
Bangladesh should establish economic policies that give young people more work opportunities. Industries that are heavily export-oriented such as textiles and electronics usually employ young people at about twice the rate of other industries. These are not always skilled jobs, but they provide employment for inexperienced young people who have less skill. A large number of inexperienced Bangladeshi young people are working in different industries throughout the world. On the other hand, there is also a high demand for young people in areas where creativity is valued.
Some 1.3 billion young people are now living in the developing world. The majority, almost 85%, of the world's youth live in developing countries, with approximately 60 percent in Asia alone. The next generation holds much promise for countries that adopt policies to ensure that their youth are better educated and healthier. According to the 2007 World Development Report "Development and the Next Generation," record numbers of young people between the ages of 12 and 24 could give developing countries a big advantage over developed nations in the next generation, producing surging economic growth, and sharply reducing poverty.
In an effort to harness the energy, imagination and initiative of the world's youth in overcoming the challenges facing humankind, from enhancing peace to boosting economic development, the United Nations on December 18, 2009, proclaimed an International Year of Youth commencing on 12 August 2010. The International Year is about advancing the full and effective participation of youth in all aspects of society. By 2025, the number of youth living in developing countries will grow to 89.5%.
Youth are the future hope of the nation. They are the most energetic and productive segment of the total population in Bangladesh. Therefore, the country should take youth issues into considerations in the development agenda and focus its efforts in order to prepare and inspire the youth for a role in future changes in the society.
The writer is a freelance writer based in New York. He can be reached at email: Ripan.biswas@yahoo.com
Barack Obama praised young people as much as he could in his victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park after winning the presidential election, which thrust him into the White House: "It was the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy, who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep."
Time has changed, and the way we engage with issues that matter to us has changed too. Young people are the ones who can change the world because they have the vision of a better world, the energy to try, and the motivation to change. They are tomorrow's world leaders and are in touch with social development of the world more than ever. The future has always been considered to be in the hands of young people.
A recently revealed survey by the British-Council-commissioned in Dhaka indicated that the three-quarters of the youth in Bangladesh are not interested in politics. The first-ever nationwide survey titled "Bangladesh: The Next Generation," interviewed 2,166 young people between the age of 15 and 30 at their work, educational institutes and homes in 2009 and three in every four young people disagreed with the statement, "I am interested in politics." However, one-third said they should be involved in politics. Apart their political stands and thinking, sixty percent of them fear that the level of corruption will worsen in the next five years.
It seems the new generation is politically inactive. Though many young people in Bangladesh care about politics and want to make things happen, but today, for a lot of young people, political parties in Bangladesh hardly work on common issues. Lots of young people have opinions and views, but they're not necessarily party-political ones. According to the survey, seventy nine percent are interested in development and common issues. Foreign Minister Dipu Moni is right. It was their decision to elect the present government because young people in Bangladesh are hopeful and want to bring the change and want to focus on development issues.
"I do not believe that the youth do not have any capacity to influence decision-making," she said at a recent function at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.
Young people are always sceptical about politics in general and feel disillusioned. Politicians in Bangladesh rarely tell the entire truth.
They usually concentrate on what they want to concentrate on, which aren't necessarily the same things that matter to ordinary people. The decisions that the government makes affect everyone, but most of the time it's very hard to find any difference between any of the political parties and people don't believe things will necessarily improve whoever's in power. People want to believe that whoever is in government would act in their best interest that they'd take on board the issues that affect everyone.
According to the survey, young people are happy in the country, but a large portion of them would prefer to live abroad for education facilities and better job opportunities. If a country sees that its youth are migrating to countries that have more favorable policies for youth, the country should to bring changes in its own policies. For instance, thirty years ago, many South Koreans were seeking opportunities to live and work abroad. But now, it's very hard to recruit them to work at the World Bank outside of Korea. India saw in the past five years return of its highly skilled people in large number from abroad. As Indians, they are eager to have the opportunity to develop their careers in their own country.
For most young people, the most important thing is that their education is safe and free from volatile political practices. As much as 36 percent of the respondents in the survey said they believe student politics has a detrimental effect on educational institutions. Education in Bangladesh is being hijacked to serve gross political interests.
There are plenty of issues they care about, like prospect of getting a job, securing free transport for young people, improving the benefit system, and improving the economy. They are very sensitive about politicians' false promises and their wrong doings and criminal offences.
Bangladesh should establish economic policies that give young people more work opportunities. Industries that are heavily export-oriented such as textiles and electronics usually employ young people at about twice the rate of other industries. These are not always skilled jobs, but they provide employment for inexperienced young people who have less skill. A large number of inexperienced Bangladeshi young people are working in different industries throughout the world. On the other hand, there is also a high demand for young people in areas where creativity is valued.
Some 1.3 billion young people are now living in the developing world. The majority, almost 85%, of the world's youth live in developing countries, with approximately 60 percent in Asia alone. The next generation holds much promise for countries that adopt policies to ensure that their youth are better educated and healthier. According to the 2007 World Development Report "Development and the Next Generation," record numbers of young people between the ages of 12 and 24 could give developing countries a big advantage over developed nations in the next generation, producing surging economic growth, and sharply reducing poverty.
In an effort to harness the energy, imagination and initiative of the world's youth in overcoming the challenges facing humankind, from enhancing peace to boosting economic development, the United Nations on December 18, 2009, proclaimed an International Year of Youth commencing on 12 August 2010. The International Year is about advancing the full and effective participation of youth in all aspects of society. By 2025, the number of youth living in developing countries will grow to 89.5%.
Youth are the future hope of the nation. They are the most energetic and productive segment of the total population in Bangladesh. Therefore, the country should take youth issues into considerations in the development agenda and focus its efforts in order to prepare and inspire the youth for a role in future changes in the society.
The writer is a freelance writer based in New York. He can be reached at email: Ripan.biswas@yahoo.com