Technology is changing life all around the world, but we are not changing in Bangladesh, we are in the same place. According to a business leader, there is a substantial shortage of professional human resources in the middle and upper levels of an organization.
।। Md. Shariful Islam।।
From the very childhood, we have grown up hearing about the importance of education. We all know very well that education is the backbone of a nation. No one can deny the necessity of education. Even no nation can change its fate without education. Education works as a maker of a successful nation. If we look back to past decades, we see that the literacy rate of Bangladesh was very low. But now the scenario has changed. In recent times, passing Secondary School Certificate (SSC) is very easy and simple matter. Now people perceive the importance of education in life. They know that without education they cannot move forward.
Undoubtedly, education plays a vital role in every part of human life. But the question is how much effective is our current education system? How much helpful our education is in working sector? How much we can use our education in everyday life? Every year, hundreds of thousand students are completing graduation from different public and private universities in the country.
Many industries, garments factories and business institutions have developed in the country. The entrepreneurs of these institutions say there is no shortage of highly educated people in the country. But the problem is that these people lack in job-friendly education. They are not proficient in English language. That is why foreign workers are taking their place and grabbing billions of dollars from Bangladesh annually.
Ashish Kumar Debnath, a 30-year old graduate, who has completed his postgraduate degree from a private university in English said that he had finished his study but it’s a matter of shame that he cannot speak in English fluently. He obtained his first class in honours but cannot use correct English yet. Like him, most of the students are unable to give a presentation in front of an audience because there is no system of our education to teach students practically.
He rightly believes that environment plays an important role to become skilled at any language. Since, English is not our mother language, we need to take extra care for learning English. Universities should take some initiatives in this regard. If universities arrange extra class for practical English and provide language club, students can practice their daily English and improve their communicative skills.
In a job interview board, majority questions are asked in English and employers prefer smart English but the English level of our students are very poor. As a result, when they face an interview they cannot express themselves in a proper way before interviewers that make them frustrated.
The situation in engineering field is the same. Many engineers completing their study but cannot prove themselves in the job market because they hardly know about practical engineering.
Technology is changing life all around the world, but we’re not changing in Bangladesh, we’re in the same place. According to a business leader, there is a substantial shortage of professional human resources in the middle and upper levels of his organization. The so-called education system cannot meet the needs of today’s job market. Especially in the management of the textile and garment industry, the influences of the foreigners are immense. In the field of employment, the qualifications of general students are low-grade. Again, most of those who are educated in vocational education cannot work properly. This is the problem in almost all areas of education.
Millions of students of the country study in general education but they are not interested in technical studies. Experts believe that technical education should be made compulsory up to class XII and the trend of technical education needs to be increased. According to businessmen and entrepreneurs, it is important to recruit the right person for the right place for development an industry. Manpower needs to be created according to the demands of industries.
No country in this world has hundred per cent skilled workers. The problem is even deeper in a country like ours. There is no doubt that crisis is severe. But, this is not a problem at all. The problem is in the mindset of our policy makers. To solve this problem, right initiative, effective planning and mindset of quick implementation is needed.
The government does not do everything in a country. Apart from the government, private organizations also have to take some initiatives for the creation of efficient human resources.
Many illegal foreign workers are working not only in private organizations but also in many government projects. No one is above laws of the country. In some cases, it can be needed to appoint foreign employees. In this case, strict conditions need to apply and we have to keep in mind we have to reduce foreign recruitments and try to solve any type of problem by our own system and manpower.
The Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) conducted a study on the garment industries. According to its research, 20 per cent of the garment factories have foreign workers. Every year hundreds of millions of dollars are bagged by foreigners from Bangladesh.
Every year, about 2 million people are coming to the job market. Most of the students who study in the universities remain unemployed. Nevertheless, crowds of students seeking higher education are increasing. Every student spends a huge amount of money for receiving higher education. But how much do they fit in the job market? The answer is in doubt.
Policymakers need to think seriously about these issues now.
The writer is a Sub-editor at The Independent (Online). Email: omarzsharif11@gmail.com
