Dr. Sultan Ahmad :
Bangladesh is on the road of development. Development is a continuous process. No government can claim that it has made all the developments. Every government, whatever the form may be, has contribution to the development of the country. Present Government is voicing that Bangladesh will be in the list of middle income countries by the year 2021, and developed country by 2041. Setting a goal is, of course, good. But we will have to consider the feasibility and proper planning in attaining that status.
Table below show some development indicators for Bangladesh and South Asia/ India. Looking at the indices, it is right to claim that Bangladesh is progressing in some sectors such as per head income, But if we compare indices, like Government expenditure on education and health, we see a dismal picture. The % GDP allocated to education in Bangladesh (2%) is less than half of the allocation in the South Asian region (4.7%) and allocation for health in Bangladesh is (2.8%) of GDP, where as for South Asia it is (4.4%).
Without sufficient allocation in education and health, prime two components of developing human resources and health status of a country, it is Utopian to achieve development goals set by the governments. These two important indices cut a very sorry figure as to the optimistic claim of development by the government. The allocation just meet the needs for the payment of the employees of the institutions.
Few Development Indicators, 2016
Bangladesh Sout Asia
Government Expenditure on Education 2.0 4.7
(% of GDP)
Health Expenditure (% of GDP) 2.8 4.4
GDP Growth (%) (1990-2000) 4.7 5.6
(2000-2015) 5.9 7.0
Gross Capital Formation (%) (1990) 8.6 6.6
(2015) 8.6 10.1
Access to Electricity (% of Population) 59.6 78.0
Unemployment Rate (%) (1990-92) Male 3.0 4.0
Female 3.0 5.0
Youth 9.0 10.0
(2011-14) Male 4.0 5.0 Female 5.0 5.0
Youth 9.0 10.0
Population below $1.90 per day (%) 2005 24.5
2010 18.5
Air pollution(micro grams/cm) 87.0 71.8
Internet User (per 100 People) 14.4 23.6
Arms Imports ($ million) (2010) 35.0 5615.0
(2015) 653.0 4555.0
Gini Index (Ref Year 2010) 32.1 India (Ref 2011) 35.2
Percentage Share of Income (Lowest 40%) 21.5 India 27.2
(Highest 10%) 26.9 India 29.8
Source: World Development Report 2016
Percentage GDP growth in Bangladesh also could not keep in pace, much below the South Asian as a whole, not to speak of developed countries. While in 1990, Gross Capital formation was higher in Bangladesh, but the South Asian region took over Bangladesh by 1.5 percentage point in 2015. it is in a stagnant position in Bangladesh for the last 25 years. Then how on earth, we are claiming that Bangladesh is the role model of development. Access to electricity, an important component of investment and industrial production as well as human welfare, Bangladesh is lagging behind South Asian countries by 18.4% points. Although unemployment rates for both males and females are on the decrease, youth employment rate is still in an stagnant position for the youths at 9% for the last 25 years. It implies that sufficient employment opportunities for our educated youths have not been created for the last 25 years in Bangladesh. Youths are frustrated for not getting employment opportunities. This is creating social unrest, criminal activities, and even getting involved in activities like terrorism and anti-state activities.
Level of air pollution is 16 percentage point higher in Bangladesh compared to South Asian level. Level of internet use is also 9% lower in Bangladesh than the South Asian level.
Gini index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country. The more nearly equal a country’s income distribution, the lower its Gini index, The more unequal a country’s income distribution, the higher its Gini index, If income were distributed with perfect equality the index would be zero; if income were distributed with perfect inequality, the index would be 100.
Gini Index shows that the inequality in the distribution of family income is slightly lower in Bangladesh than India. While the share of income of the lowest 40% of the population is 5.7% lower in Bangladesh than in India; the highest 10% control almost 3% higher in India than in Bangladesh. It means that development activities are not in favor of the disadvantaged poor groups.
In 2010, percentage share of arms import in Bangladesh in the South Asian region was 6.2%, it rose to 14.0 % in 2015.
Increase in arms import without increase in investment in sectors like education and health is of great concern for the sustainable development activities of the country. Are we contemplating any invasion of our country by neighboring India and Myanmar or for using these against our own people in the near future? Our political leaders conceive development as construction of buildings, one or two bridges or some flyover loops by spending 3-4 times of the original budgets. If one considers the volume of traffic in these flyover loops, can anyone justify the construction of these loops? These are not development, but, of course aid to development. Because these are visible things, they exploit people by showing these as developments done by them.
They upgrade 30/40 bed hospitals to 100 beds without appointing doctors and supplying necessary tools for the hospitals. They promise to establish Universities , especially, of Science and technology, then starts the main business of admitting students in subjects already over flooded in these universities of Science and technology. We don’t bother to consider where from we will get appropriate teachers for these universities? While University graduates are now appointed as teachers in the Primary schools, one can comprehend the underemployment of University graduates. What a wastage?Then why we are establishing more universities? Just for buying votes. Quality of education is at its lowest level since independence.
Our country was/is practicing politics without any ethical and moral standard. We need to establish real democracy in order to deliver goods and services of worthy qualities. Rule of law must be established in its true sense. These are our expectations for sustainable and continued development in the country.
(Dr. Sultan Ahmad, email:[email protected])
