United efforts needed for rural development
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Lutfor Rahman
Professor Muhammad Yunus is an economist and he is the only Nobel Laureate from Bangladesh. He started his academic career as a lecturer of economics at the University of Chittagong in early 1970s. His research activities started from the root level. At that stage he realized the importance of the creation of Grameen Bank with the unique idea of a mobile bank that moves from door to door to lend money to poor rural women. This very concept enabled him to touch the sky and made him world famous. In September 1996, it was really a shameful incident for this writer when I failed to answer most of the questions asked by Professor Mohammad Isa on Grameen Bank at his office in Dar es Salam, Tanzania, East Africa. Many scientists from other countries were present in that event and they were very surprised finding me silent. As soon as I came back to Bangladesh, I made a phone call to Prof Yunus and conveyed him the message of his recognition and acceptance in Africa. He invited me in his office in Dhaka. I was amazed to find him in a simple dress and his surrounding atmosphere. In March 1998, while travelling from New York to London, Dr Biruti, a Russian lady was also travelling on the same flight after attending the Microcredit Summit. In the long journey, Dr. Biruti talked a lot on Grameen Bank and I enjoyed the conversation. Since then I have met so many NGO executives, bank officials, politicians, and economists in five continents and feel proud being a citizen of Bangladesh where Prof Yunus succeeded in changing the concept of the traditional banking system. Recently many reports are being published in the newspapers about him. The purpose of my writing this article is not to comment whether he should have remained as the managing director of Grameen Bank or not, but to request all concerned to come to a solution instead of reducing national prestige making irrelevant comments. Let us respect one another based on justification. Prof Yunus is the founder of the Grameen Bank and nobody else can claim this position. Whether he works as MD or Chairman of the Grameen Bank does not matter, he is the creator of the concept. He should widen his field of works through introducing new concepts to other developing countries that need his help. It is true that Prof Yunus adopted the project, when the financial and social conditions of Bangladesh were not like now. During the gap of 1976 to 2011, both social and financial conditions of the country have improved significantly. Even the poor women in remote villages hate begging and they do not like taking loans from banks due to complexities and sufferings. They expect respect through their work and to become self-reliant. Thousands of women work in the garment industries. They are not given good salaries but they get the scope for utilising their expertise. They feel proud in handling costly embroidery machines. The scope has developed their self-confidence for survival. A recent study shows that the rural girl students prefer science and technology to arts and commerce. They show better results than the boys do from the technical schools. It is high time to change our attitude towards women. Let us empower them with relevant technologies so that they can utilise their knowledge and skills in the right time for the right purposes. Initiatives may be taken from the remote village such as Ikrail where the girls are trained in traditional technologies like textile technologies (dress-making and tailoring), food processing, civil construction and building maintenance. Khairunnessa Technical Institute (KTI) affiliated in 2001 with Bangladesh Technical Education Board has changed the scenario of Ikrail and its surrounding villages. The girls and boys of Ikrail village are equally empowered in traditional and modern technologies including information and communications technology (ICT). The most important point to note is: the day labourers and the farmers with no formal education can become the proud parents of engineers and scientists. The difference between the Grameen Bank and the KTI is: one makes people dependent on bank and the other makes people self-reliant, confident, financially solvent and socially respected. The founder of the Grameen Bank took the initiative when it worked like a medicine (antibiotic) and the KTI founded in 2001 has succeeded to diagnose the social problems and prescribe the right medicine based on timely needs. The Grameen initiative was taken at Zobra village of Chittagong and the KTI initiative has been taken at Ikrail village of Alfadanga in Faridpur. Founder of the Grameen Bank is an economist and the founder of the Khairunnessa Technical Institute (KTI) is a scientist. Both are university professors with doctorate degrees in their respective fields. Cooperation between scientists, economists, political leaders and the government has become very important for social, financial and technological development of the country under the present global perspectives. The writer is Chairman of the CSE department at Stamford University. He can be reached at email: lutfor@agni.com
Professor Muhammad Yunus is an economist and he is the only Nobel Laureate from Bangladesh. He started his academic career as a lecturer of economics at the University of Chittagong in early 1970s. His research activities started from the root level. At that stage he realized the importance of the creation of Grameen Bank with the unique idea of a mobile bank that moves from door to door to lend money to poor rural women. This very concept enabled him to touch the sky and made him world famous. In September 1996, it was really a shameful incident for this writer when I failed to answer most of the questions asked by Professor Mohammad Isa on Grameen Bank at his office in Dar es Salam, Tanzania, East Africa. Many scientists from other countries were present in that event and they were very surprised finding me silent. As soon as I came back to Bangladesh, I made a phone call to Prof Yunus and conveyed him the message of his recognition and acceptance in Africa. He invited me in his office in Dhaka. I was amazed to find him in a simple dress and his surrounding atmosphere. In March 1998, while travelling from New York to London, Dr Biruti, a Russian lady was also travelling on the same flight after attending the Microcredit Summit. In the long journey, Dr. Biruti talked a lot on Grameen Bank and I enjoyed the conversation. Since then I have met so many NGO executives, bank officials, politicians, and economists in five continents and feel proud being a citizen of Bangladesh where Prof Yunus succeeded in changing the concept of the traditional banking system. Recently many reports are being published in the newspapers about him. The purpose of my writing this article is not to comment whether he should have remained as the managing director of Grameen Bank or not, but to request all concerned to come to a solution instead of reducing national prestige making irrelevant comments. Let us respect one another based on justification. Prof Yunus is the founder of the Grameen Bank and nobody else can claim this position. Whether he works as MD or Chairman of the Grameen Bank does not matter, he is the creator of the concept. He should widen his field of works through introducing new concepts to other developing countries that need his help. It is true that Prof Yunus adopted the project, when the financial and social conditions of Bangladesh were not like now. During the gap of 1976 to 2011, both social and financial conditions of the country have improved significantly. Even the poor women in remote villages hate begging and they do not like taking loans from banks due to complexities and sufferings. They expect respect through their work and to become self-reliant. Thousands of women work in the garment industries. They are not given good salaries but they get the scope for utilising their expertise. They feel proud in handling costly embroidery machines. The scope has developed their self-confidence for survival. A recent study shows that the rural girl students prefer science and technology to arts and commerce. They show better results than the boys do from the technical schools. It is high time to change our attitude towards women. Let us empower them with relevant technologies so that they can utilise their knowledge and skills in the right time for the right purposes. Initiatives may be taken from the remote village such as Ikrail where the girls are trained in traditional technologies like textile technologies (dress-making and tailoring), food processing, civil construction and building maintenance. Khairunnessa Technical Institute (KTI) affiliated in 2001 with Bangladesh Technical Education Board has changed the scenario of Ikrail and its surrounding villages. The girls and boys of Ikrail village are equally empowered in traditional and modern technologies including information and communications technology (ICT). The most important point to note is: the day labourers and the farmers with no formal education can become the proud parents of engineers and scientists. The difference between the Grameen Bank and the KTI is: one makes people dependent on bank and the other makes people self-reliant, confident, financially solvent and socially respected. The founder of the Grameen Bank took the initiative when it worked like a medicine (antibiotic) and the KTI founded in 2001 has succeeded to diagnose the social problems and prescribe the right medicine based on timely needs. The Grameen initiative was taken at Zobra village of Chittagong and the KTI initiative has been taken at Ikrail village of Alfadanga in Faridpur. Founder of the Grameen Bank is an economist and the founder of the Khairunnessa Technical Institute (KTI) is a scientist. Both are university professors with doctorate degrees in their respective fields. Cooperation between scientists, economists, political leaders and the government has become very important for social, financial and technological development of the country under the present global perspectives. The writer is Chairman of the CSE department at Stamford University. He can be reached at email: lutfor@agni.com