Dr. Matiur Rahman :
In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared 15 July as World Youth Skills Day to celebrate the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. Since then, World Youth Skills Day has provided a unique opportunity for dialogue between young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, firms, employers’ and workers’ organizations, policy-makers and development partners.
Education and training are central to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. The vision of the Incheon Declaration: Education 2030 is fully captured by Sustainable Development Goal 4 “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. Education 2030 devotes considerable attention to technical and vocational skills development, specifically regarding access to affordable quality Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET); the acquisition of technical and vocational skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship; the elimination of gender disparity and ensuring access for the vulnerable.
World Youth Skills Day 2022 takes place amid concerted efforts toward socio-economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that are interconnected with challenges such as climate change, conflict, persisting poverty, rising inequality, rapid technological change, demographic transition and others. The 2022 World Youth Skills Day theme is ‘Transforming Youth Skills for the Future’.
We know skills change lives, and it is possible to create employment and economic development through the acquisition of skills. And education, as well as training, is essential to build a skilled and qualified youth. The main purpose of this day declared by the United Nations is to call on the youth of the world to become proficient in various skills and highlight the vital role of skilled youth in meeting the global challenges of the future.
Technical and vocational education and training TVET can equip youth with the skills required to access the world of work, including skills for self-employment. TVET can also improve responsiveness to changing skill demands by companies and communities and increase productivity and wage levels. TVET can reduce access barriers to the world of work, for example, through work-based learning and ensuring that skills gained are recognized and certified. TVET can also offer skills development opportunities for low-skilled people who are under- or unemployed, out-of-school youth and individuals not in education, employment and training.
The United Nations has defined the duration of youth from 15 to 24 years. And according to the Bangladesh National Youth Policy, it is 18 to 35 years. The number of youths in Bangladesh is about 34 percent of the total population. Development experts say 22 lakh people enter the country’s labour market annually. But there are only 12-13 lakh employment opportunities. In other words, almost half of them are out of employment. Not being able to use the youths properly is a substantial national waste. According to them, it is possible to eliminate this unemployment by increasing the number of self-employed with the necessary training and financial support.
The world has been in turmoil for more than two years because of the terrible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. All the sectors have collapsed. This global pandemic has hit the education sector the hardest. UNESCO reported that about 1.6 billion students around the world had been affected. And at least one billion students have been severely affected. At least 40 million children have been deprived of pre-primary education. Due to this pandemic, the condition of education in Bangladesh is dilapidated.
A study conducted by PPRC and BIGD last year (2021) found that about 3.4 million students dropped out at primary and 2.5 million at secondary levels due to the Corona pandemic. The study found that at least 19 percent of primary and 25 per cent of secondary level students were severely affected by the inability to participate in educational activities.
It is mentionable here that the dropout rate in Bangladesh remains too high for secondary (37.60 per cent) and post-secondary education (19.60 per cent), consistent with BANBEIS. Second, many people are employing their children in child labour due to income and food security risks, and the rate of child marriage has also increased due to the adverse effects of coronavirus. In this case, the secondary and higher secondary level students are at high risk. Bangladesh is also one of the leading countries in malnutrition.
Thus, a considerable challenge is coming ahead. We need to prepare to face the challenges. Though experts have suggested various ways to cope with this situation, widely setting up market-oriented Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and short-term semi-skill development training on different trade courses could be an effective solution to place those millions of dropout students and the unemployed youths. Their job placement also needs to be ensured. Then they will be our resource, and we will be able to utilize our population dividend for the development of our country.
Youth is a valuable asset to any country. National development and progress largely depend on the youth’s active participation. A nation’s economic, social and cultural environment is built around the youth’s talent, creativity, and courage. There is no doubt that in future, a generation will face an alarming situation in terms of their education, skill and psychological disorder. They may be a burden for our society after the pandemic.
Thus, to combat future challenges, a more robust collaboration is needed among the Government, NGOs and development partners. However, the government needs to take the lead in steering up from this crisis. If appropriate measures are not taken now, we all have to pay a higher cost for a lost generation.
(The writer is a researcher and development worker).
