Setting goals for country\\\'s progress

Bangladesh has been pursuing two well-set targets -- one is the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the other is the attainment of the middle-income status. The deadline for the first one is 2015 and for the second one is 2021. It is obvious that embarking on both does in no way refer to crossing paths; rather they will be complementary to each other. What is significant here is that to achieve the first target, the country has barely 15 months at hand. Now how far of this UN-set goals has so far been achieved by Bangladesh and other countries is a matter of immense significance. Compared with many countries, Bangladesh's is an enviable achievement in some areas. It can surely take pride in its achievement.
To start with poverty reduction, Bangladesh has come a long way off. It received special recognition at the 38th conference of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome for achieving the MDG-1 two years ahead of time. The proportion of poor people is about one-fourth of the total now. However, in case of reduction of extreme poverty, the country still suffers from some internal weaknesses. Sure enough, a breakthrough has been made but there are still some way to go before the endemic poverty is dismantled. Tagged with this is the issue of attaining the status of a middle-income country but then it is not absolutely a precondition. How? Wealth creation at the top echelon may boost the country's economy to a level where the nation may earn the coveted title. But this does not rule out absence of any dent into poverty situation.
Unequal distribution of wealth is at the root in such a situation. One is under the impression that the country could make a greater impact on poverty with its existing resources if only those were distributed more rationally. But the signs are not as hopeless as the situation looks from a cursory glance. This is reflected particularly in the extension of healthcare system. The recent moves for improving the upazila-level healthcare facilities are expected to start producing results soon. Already, the lowering child mortality rate has been viewed as a remarkable achievement by experts because the record is far better compared to some of Bangladesh's neighbours. If the health facilities at the grassroots level do not falter in serving the rural population, particularly expectant mothers, the achievement in this area will look far more impressive.
Now that the positives have been highlighted, there are areas where things are not moving the way they should have. Education is one such area. Achieving hundred per cent literacy was not an outlandish expectation. But despite enrolment of nearly hundred per cent of school-age children, the country's rate of literacy hovers in the region of 60 -65 per cent. Intriguingly, different agencies and particularly the primary and mass education ministry give different rates and the margin is as large as 11 per cent -59.82 per cent on the lower side and 71 per cent on the higher side. Now this is crucial either for meeting the MDGs or for attaining the middle-income goal set by the incumbent government.
True, the government has adopted a liberal policy to educate its young generation. But this programme is not enough to cover children of the poor and extreme poor families. Even after enrolment children of such families drop out for practical reasons. It is exactly at this point, some extra measure is needed to bring them under literacy programmes. Admittedly, minimum literacy alone is not enough to compete in the field of employment. But at least, this is an improvement in the overall societal and mental make-up.
Already alarm bell has been sounded from many quarters that quality of education at the secondary, higher secondary and tertiary level has been grossly compromised for the sake of quantity. In fact, misplaced priority has been responsible for this. The need was to improve the quality of teaching and not to take recourse to the easier means of generously marking answer scripts. Clearly, the country will have to pay through its nose when the high achievers fail to compete with their counterparts abroad. If only 20 per cent GPA-5 scorers pass admission test of Dhaka University, there are genuine reasons to be worried about the quality of education.
There are other areas, where the country will not be able to reach the goals within the set timeframe. All of them are important for the progress of a nation. But the more important ones of them are certainly gender equality, nutritional status and employment generation. Sure enough, education and employment are correlated to a large extent. So, educational standard will largely decide how resourceful and productive this nation becomes. Women's empowerment has gained some momentum but still there are miles to go. Violence against girls and women and disparities against them within families too will disappear if only the right kind of education can be imparted.
In the same breath, the need for improving the health and nutritional status is given a priority when people are educated enough. The role of the government is to set up facilities but if people do not have access to them, the main purpose gets frustrated. Again, facilities alone cannot raise the living standard if people are not fully aware of health and hygiene. It is a total package within which a nation gets its acts together for improving the quality of life. Even within limited resources, a higher living standard can be achieved.
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