Today is International Youth Day, an auspicious occasion sanctioned by the United Nations to draw attention to a given set of cultural and social issues surrounding youth. This ties in directly with the reality that while Bangladesh is on the verge of reaping the benefits of a demographic dividend, we have much work to do when it comes to the creation of a proper environment for the uplifting of our youth.
The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and if we fail in creating a suitable environment for both the physical and mental development of these future leaders, we will not only be failing them, but we will also be failing the future of the nation.
The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and if we fail in creating a suitable environment for both the physical and mental development of these future leaders, we will not only be failing them, but we will also be failing the future of the nation.
Amidst the myriad problems our youth face, the fact that they don't have opportunities to participate actively in the economy is an avenue that needs work. As this newspaper has editorialized before, the youth of today don't have many opportunities when it comes to self-actualization. This needs to be rectified promptly. We are on the verge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and without a skilled workforce, we cannot expect to prosper in the new age we will find ourselves in.
Fundamental changes to both our education system and the workforce therefore are the need of the hour and must be adopted, and any kind of part-time jobs have to be encouraged for our youth so that they learn to take care of themselves from an earlier age.
Restrictions in terms of these self-actualization processes also need to be abolished. For example, there has been a recent case of a wrongful detainment of e-sport athletes, an industry that is on the forefront of the worldwide digital revolution. Our youth possess the skills to take the glory of green and red to the world stage in this sector, in turn earning significant sums in revenue. But we are snuffing their talents before they can even flourish and this is a mistake; we must align our policies to match today's practices.
We also need to let go of outdated social concepts and empower our youth; it has been good to see the authorities speak in recent times about overhauling our education to fit the needs of future generations, and this is the way to go. We live in a constantly changing world, and the merit of a nation can best be described by its adaptability to changing currents. If we are unable to accommodate that reality, it will be nothing short of shooting ourselves in the foot, and problems like brain drain will only get worse.
We call upon the government to take heed of the new reality they find themselves in. While we appear to be adapting well, all of it will be for naught if we can not help our youth reach their full potential. To reiterate, the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. We owe it to them to facilitate their prosperity.
