Scientists can build a better future
Prof. Lutfor Rahman | Saturday, 7 March 2009
SCIENCE alone can solve the problems of hunger and poverty. Bangladesh needs to use science and scientific methods to improve the quality of life of its people and solve the problems facing the country. Bangladesh has to proceed carefully to achieve its goals.
Science and technology have no borders. Progress in science and technology benefits all mankind. Development of science in each country relies upon a nation's own efforts. International cooperation is an important component of social commitment to science. International collaboration in scientific activities can bring faster progress in many areas. Such collaboration brings people together. In this age of globalisation, all countries, far and near, should maintain good cooperation.
Science and scientific activities are over looked in this country. The scientists are not recognised though they are praised abroad. They must be recognised and their skills and knowledge, they gathered from the universities abroad should be utilised. India honoured its scientist Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam by making him the President of India. India recognises his contribution in science and technology.
In science and technology, India and China are now about to touch the sky. How was it possible for then with so many hungry people? They could do it because they value science. Jaharlal Neheru wrote, "It is science alone that can solve the problems of hunger and poverty". Nehru was not a scientist but a prominent politician from a political family. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also comes from a political family and is married to a scientist. The unique combination of the two in her should help the country reach the sky in the shortest possible time. She is recognised for her political acumen after the parliamentary election December 2008. Her election manifesto, Digital Bangladesh, emphasises scientific development through digitalisation of the relevant systems.
As senior citizens of a democratic country, we cannot deny our responsibilities towards the nation-building activities. We must agree that we made mistakes after the Liberation War. We thought our duty was over. So, we left it to the Father of the Nation to solve all the problems. Our mission remained incomplete at that stage when anyone should have contributed to build the country utilising the skills and talents each citizen had in respective fields with full dedication under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh must befriend science to be able to utilise modern technologies such as information and communication technology (ICT), bio-technology, marine technology, space technology and nanotechnology to harness the natural resources not only from the surface but also from underneath the earth, from the sea and the space. Bangladesh needs to identify the causes of failures of scientific programmes in the educational institutes, research centers and technology organisations. Once the problems are identified, it will be easier to solve the problems through local or collaborative efforts. It will, indeed, be an effective step towards the creation of Sheikh Hasina's Digital Bangladesh.
The founder vice chancellor of Science and Technology University in Rural Bangladesh the writer now teaches electronics and telecommunication engineering at Peoples University, and can be reached at [email protected]
Science and technology have no borders. Progress in science and technology benefits all mankind. Development of science in each country relies upon a nation's own efforts. International cooperation is an important component of social commitment to science. International collaboration in scientific activities can bring faster progress in many areas. Such collaboration brings people together. In this age of globalisation, all countries, far and near, should maintain good cooperation.
Science and scientific activities are over looked in this country. The scientists are not recognised though they are praised abroad. They must be recognised and their skills and knowledge, they gathered from the universities abroad should be utilised. India honoured its scientist Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam by making him the President of India. India recognises his contribution in science and technology.
In science and technology, India and China are now about to touch the sky. How was it possible for then with so many hungry people? They could do it because they value science. Jaharlal Neheru wrote, "It is science alone that can solve the problems of hunger and poverty". Nehru was not a scientist but a prominent politician from a political family. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also comes from a political family and is married to a scientist. The unique combination of the two in her should help the country reach the sky in the shortest possible time. She is recognised for her political acumen after the parliamentary election December 2008. Her election manifesto, Digital Bangladesh, emphasises scientific development through digitalisation of the relevant systems.
As senior citizens of a democratic country, we cannot deny our responsibilities towards the nation-building activities. We must agree that we made mistakes after the Liberation War. We thought our duty was over. So, we left it to the Father of the Nation to solve all the problems. Our mission remained incomplete at that stage when anyone should have contributed to build the country utilising the skills and talents each citizen had in respective fields with full dedication under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the architect of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh must befriend science to be able to utilise modern technologies such as information and communication technology (ICT), bio-technology, marine technology, space technology and nanotechnology to harness the natural resources not only from the surface but also from underneath the earth, from the sea and the space. Bangladesh needs to identify the causes of failures of scientific programmes in the educational institutes, research centers and technology organisations. Once the problems are identified, it will be easier to solve the problems through local or collaborative efforts. It will, indeed, be an effective step towards the creation of Sheikh Hasina's Digital Bangladesh.
The founder vice chancellor of Science and Technology University in Rural Bangladesh the writer now teaches electronics and telecommunication engineering at Peoples University, and can be reached at [email protected]