Lack of database hinders youth development: lawmaker
The absence of an accurate database is the main barrier towards undertaking any initiative for youths in Bangladesh which could have led to the subsequent reaping of the expected demographic dividend, said one of the country's youngest lawmakers yesterday.
"The lack of database on youth is the major obstacle and weakness towards undertaking any plan regarding youth development," said the parliament member, Nahim Razzaq.
He raised this issue while addressing a webinar on "Development of young population: perspective FY2020-21 budget implementation" jointly organised by ActionAid Bangladesh and the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (Sanem).
"How is it possible to set a target group without proper information," asked Razzaq, adding that institutional restructuring was also required for ensuring need-based education.
A member of the parliamentary standing committee on the foreign affairs ministry, he also put emphasis on budgetary allocation for young entrepreneurs so that they could deal with the impacts of Covid-19.
The language barrier is also one of the major problems for youth and a lack of this communications skill was rendering them incapable of competing with others, he further said.
Though budgetary allocations are being made for youth development, there is no monitoring on how it was being spent, said Razzaq.
The health sector's infrastructure is very weak and the government gave priority to it in the proposed budget, said Atiur Rahman, former governor of Bangladesh Bank.
There are inefficiencies in utilisation of the budget for the health sector and it should be addressed for the health sector's development, said Rahman, also a professor of the Department of Development Studies at the University of Dhaka.
Regarding a budgetary allocation for small and medium enterprises, he said the small and micro entrepreneurs have no access to formal finance so the central bank could take up an initiative to protect them.
Regarding implementation of the budget for youth, he said the ministry of youth and sports could create a monitoring cell to oversee it. Training should be provided to youths seeking to become entrepreneurs in the future, said Rahman.
Hussain Elius, chief executive officer of ridesharing entity Pathao, demanded policy support from the government for companies like his.
At least four lakh drivers are involved with ridesharing companies and their employment and livelihood depended on ridesharing, he said.
He alleged that the government was not allowing the resumption of ridesharing in the city on health safety grounds though mass transportation had again been made available.
He further said the around 1,000 startups created in the past 10 years with around $200 million in investments were in trouble for the pandemic.
The government should have given emphasis on youth entrepreneurship in the budget, said Mahtab Uddin, a research fellow of Sanem. The allocation Bangladesh made for the health sector is the lowest among least developed countries, he said.
The budget should have focused on human resource development instead of business for inclusive growth, said Nazmul Ahsan, manager-young people, ActionAid Bangladesh.
"If we can't create domestic demand, the economy will not rebound," he said.
Vocational and technical education is not market oriented and the curriculum needs to be made up-to-date, he said.
Covid-19 has brought about a new world order which should be accepted to survive the changing situations, said Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh, while chairing the event.
She urged the government to incorporate sufficient initiatives in the budget to address the needs of the youth, at least for a short period.
"The youth are in uncertainty due to Covid-19 as they are frustrated over their future. We have to utilise the talent and innovation of the youth," she said.
Selim Raihan, executive director of Sanem, suggested considering employment generation initiatives in the budget focusing on the young population.
The government increased allocation for the health sector in the budget and there is scope to raise the budget for the health service system further, he said.
A long-term plan should be undertaken to reap demographic dividend, said Raihan, also a professor of the Department of Economics at the University of Dhaka.
Some 37 million students have been affected due to the nationwide closure of educational institutions since March 17, said Eshrat Sharmin, a research associate of Sanem, through a presentation.
Very few institutions and students have access to distance learning tools so this is a hiccup to ensuring education, she said.
Sayema Haque Bidisha, research director of Sanem and an economics professor of the University of Dhaka, moderated the event which included youth representatives.
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