Publish : 01 Jan 2022, 12:55 PMUpdate : 01 Jan 2022, 12:55 PM
With the earth finishing its annual rotation around the sun, the year 2021 is coming to an end. And not only is this year significant as one of the first years of the new decade, but this year was also significant as the year when we finally embraced the new normal to a certain extent, and have made strides in moving beyond the constraints of the current Covid-19 pandemic.
And for Bangladesh, there were two other significant events that have to be mentioned. Aside from celebrating the 50th anniversary of our independence, we have also celebrated the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. We have also seen the fulfilment of the Vision 2021 agenda, of creating a Digital Bangladesh.
We began the year with complications regarding the procurement of vaccines, which ushered in another period of unwanted but necessary lockdowns. But since then, Bangladesh has not only made a remarkable recovery, but in recent times, Bangladesh has also been pro-active when it comes to taking steps for the administration of booster vaccines, a feat that is still out of reach of the majority of LDCs.
With Bangladesh gearing up to graduate from an LDC to a developing country in the current decade, and with the plans of becoming a developed country by the year 2041, recent steps like these are good indicators of what we can hope for and expect from this government.
After a year of standstill, the education sector also saw activity. As of the final quarter of the year, the schools have been opened, and universities took both the final exams of their students and the entrance exams for the new applicants. While there is much to do on the educational front -- from revamping our syllabus to making sure that the new surge of Omicron fails to send students back into the confines of their own homes -- we can hope that relevant steps are being taken. Bangladesh wants to be one of the leaders of tomorrow, and to that end, the government has taken many prudent steps.
And yet, there have been dark chapters that have lurked beneath the stories of development. From the increase in communal violence to the uneven distribution of resources that have plagued our nation for some time now, there is still a lot of work to be done. We have to make sure that members of all faiths and communities feel welcome in our country.
We forged this nation through the blood of millions of martyrs, and we cannot let all that blood go in vain. Bangladesh was to be a nation founded on nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism. While we have strayed from these founding values, with the oncoming of our new status and development goals, we have a chance to renew the very fabric of this country and go back to the founding ethos of our forefathers. Collectively, Bangladesh has been doing well. With some tweaks, this can be true for all the people of Bangladesh as well.
And that is what this new year represents. Essentially, 2021 has been a turning point for our nation, and 2022 has the opportunity to do things even better, particularly in a more equitable and efficient manner. That is what new beginnings are all about -- to try to be the best version of ourselves. Only when each one of us embraces such ideals of change like this can we expect for there to be a collective revolution.
From the Dhaka Tribune, we wish everyone a happy new year -- one that hopefully finally rids us of this global pandemic, while continuing the upward trajectory of Bangladesh as a nation.
A new beginning
With the earth finishing its annual rotation around the sun, the year 2021 is coming to an end. And not only is this year significant as one of the first years of the new decade, but this year was also significant as the year when we finally embraced the new normal to a certain extent, and have made strides in moving beyond the constraints of the current Covid-19 pandemic.
And for Bangladesh, there were two other significant events that have to be mentioned. Aside from celebrating the 50th anniversary of our independence, we have also celebrated the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. We have also seen the fulfilment of the Vision 2021 agenda, of creating a Digital Bangladesh.
We began the year with complications regarding the procurement of vaccines, which ushered in another period of unwanted but necessary lockdowns. But since then, Bangladesh has not only made a remarkable recovery, but in recent times, Bangladesh has also been pro-active when it comes to taking steps for the administration of booster vaccines, a feat that is still out of reach of the majority of LDCs.
With Bangladesh gearing up to graduate from an LDC to a developing country in the current decade, and with the plans of becoming a developed country by the year 2041, recent steps like these are good indicators of what we can hope for and expect from this government.
After a year of standstill, the education sector also saw activity. As of the final quarter of the year, the schools have been opened, and universities took both the final exams of their students and the entrance exams for the new applicants. While there is much to do on the educational front -- from revamping our syllabus to making sure that the new surge of Omicron fails to send students back into the confines of their own homes -- we can hope that relevant steps are being taken. Bangladesh wants to be one of the leaders of tomorrow, and to that end, the government has taken many prudent steps.
And yet, there have been dark chapters that have lurked beneath the stories of development. From the increase in communal violence to the uneven distribution of resources that have plagued our nation for some time now, there is still a lot of work to be done. We have to make sure that members of all faiths and communities feel welcome in our country.
We forged this nation through the blood of millions of martyrs, and we cannot let all that blood go in vain. Bangladesh was to be a nation founded on nationalism, socialism, democracy, and secularism. While we have strayed from these founding values, with the oncoming of our new status and development goals, we have a chance to renew the very fabric of this country and go back to the founding ethos of our forefathers. Collectively, Bangladesh has been doing well. With some tweaks, this can be true for all the people of Bangladesh as well.
And that is what this new year represents. Essentially, 2021 has been a turning point for our nation, and 2022 has the opportunity to do things even better, particularly in a more equitable and efficient manner. That is what new beginnings are all about -- to try to be the best version of ourselves. Only when each one of us embraces such ideals of change like this can we expect for there to be a collective revolution.
From the Dhaka Tribune, we wish everyone a happy new year -- one that hopefully finally rids us of this global pandemic, while continuing the upward trajectory of Bangladesh as a nation.