Throughout my university life, I have noticed many of my classmates focus on pursuing government jobs from their very first year. They believe it’s their golden ticket to financial stability, social dignity, and long-term benefits.
This belief stems from limited labour law compliance, low starting salaries, and lack of job security in private firms, compounded by inadequate skills. This mindset has been passed down through generations. However, many are reluctant to sit for the BCS exams due to discrimination, yet family pressure and the shortcomings of private jobs often force students to pursue it after graduation.
But is the path towards securing a government job fair and transparent? Unfortunately, corruption has driven some desperate unemployed citizens to engage in corrupt practices themselves to secure these jobs. While the process for job advertisement might be totally transparent for any government opening, the recruitment decision is left to the official’s discretion.
When government jobs are sold rather than earned, qualified candidates are left out, leading to a mismatch between skills and job requirements. This systematic corruption sparked the anti-discrimination movement among students.
The unravelling crisis
What began as a student protest for quota reforms in mid-July evolved into a broader revolution against Sheikh Hasina’s government leading to her resignation and fleeing the country on August 5. This movement reflected the frustrations borne out of corruption and unemployment that plague our country.
Over the 15 years of Awami League’s regime, Bangladesh became a poster child of corruption, with a lack of accountability and transparency allowing corruption to rise and turning jobs into commodities to be bought and sold. Corruption tainted every sector of governance, with the education sector serving as a glaring example.
Despite education being the foundation for any nation, it is alarming how insignificant the budget allocation for it has been over the years. The former government proposed an education budget for FY 2024-25 that is less than 2% of GDP, which falls far short of UNESCO’s recommended 6%.
Looking at the numbers of the outgoing fiscal year reveals that only Tk5,502 crore out of Tk14,086 crore allocated for secondary and higher education was spent. This hefty amount of budget often misallocated or unspent portrays the systematic flaws in this sector.
It is frustrating to see how this misallocation has led to chronic issues like poorly-trained teachers, inadequate materials, an outdated curriculum and unskilled students. These problems, in turn, perpetuate structural unemployment and push thousands of students to go after government jobs as their only option.
The Labour Force Survey 2022 underscores the gravity of the situation revealing that 800,000 unemployed citizens hold a university degree. The consequences of this issue extend beyond unemployment within the country. It has also led to many meritorious students to seek opportunities elsewhere.
According to the World Bank's Human Flight and Brain Drain index Bangladesh scores a concerning 7.0 out of 10, placing us among the top 20% of affected countries. It is a matter of shame that Bangladesh failed to utilize this significant human capital.
Breaking the cycle: Path forward
To break the vicious cycle of corruption and unemployment, significant and targeted reforms in education and governance are essential. Investments must be well accounted for in all aspects which includes increasing investment in education to at least approach global standards, ensuring that funds are allocated and spent effectively, and fostering a culture of transparency and meritocracy. Before we dive into curriculum-based reforms, making the education sector inclusive and safe for marginalized communities must be prioritized.
One of the first steps -- making students skilled for multinational jobs -- for this it’s important to upgrade the ICT curriculum in schools. All students should start to learn technical skills such as beginner level lessons in Microsoft Office tools. If it can’t be added to the main curriculum, every month a technical skills day should be made mandatory for every school where industry experts will teach the students for free.
Every university should create dedicated skills workshops that offer practical training in fields like freelancing, data analysis, and digital marketing. Incentives such as credits or stipends for participation in extracurricular activities could further encourage skill development.
Continuous professional development is key to keeping teachers aligned with the ever-changing technological landscape. Annual training programs for teachers, focusing on both teaching methods and the integration of new technologies into the classroom, should be compulsory.
Madrasah students often face barriers in the job market. To address this, initiatives should be taken to create pathways to make their curriculum industry-focused. They need specialized career counseling -- tailored internship programs, and inclusive recruitment drives could help bridge this gap.
Universities should also foster a culture of entrepreneurship by providing seed funding and mentorship to students interested in starting their own businesses. A portion of university funds should be reserved for financially unstable students with innovative ideas.
Finally, every curriculum should emphasize the development of transferable skills like communication, time management, ethics, patriotism, compassion, critical thinking, and leadership. Bootcamps and volunteerism will foster these qualities. Moreover, corruption should be eradicated at all levels in the job sector; there shouldn’t be any place for favouritism from now on.
Thus, without some well-thought reforms, the education sector will remain in the slump where it has always been. This will only perpetuate the “Bangladeshi dream,” which is to leave Bangladesh for good.
It is high time we break this vicious cycle and produce a generation equipped to contribute to economic growth. To end this on a positive note, we are hoping for great reforms from the interim government to help shape Bangladesh 2.0.
Shabnam Sultana is a freelance contributor, a social activist, and research enthusiast.
