If Bangladesh is to improve its overall condition, we must raise the level of our education and skills. There is no alternative. We are fortunate to have an abundance of manpower, particularly among the younger generation. Few countries possess such a demographic advantage. But numbers alone mean little. This manpower must be transformed into skilled manpower. That requires genuine education and deliberate skill development.
The obvious question is: who will do this? The answer is teachers. But if teachers are to build the nation’s skills, they themselves must first be skilled. And if we want skilled, truly educated teachers in our institutions, we must give them the facilities they deserve.
This is not a matter of charity. It is a matter of simple logic. If you do not provide adequate facilities, talented people will go where facilities exist. This is natural, and no amount of regulation can prevent it. Teachers’ salaries and allowances must therefore be improved so that they can live with social dignity. This is perhaps our most urgent need today.
Look at any well-performing country, or even our neighbours. Teachers there enjoy a far better standard of living; at the very least, better than ours. Without improving the quality of life for our teachers, we cannot hope to improve as a nation. The majority of teachers in this country live in conditions that can only be described as subhuman. This must change.
Let me also speak plainly to the teachers themselves. They have duties to their students and a responsibility to the nation. That responsibility cannot be avoided. They must not neglect their work. They must love their country, and that love must be reflected through action, not just words. Alongside being good teachers, they must be good human beings. And they must take on the task of shaping students into good human beings as well.
I remember, during my time as a student, when teachers spoke of moral values in the classroom. Teachers must practise those values themselves, and they must pass them on to their students. In the developed world, students absorb moral values from school and college itself. From the earliest years of primary school, they are taught social customs and ethics. As a result, they grow into good, disciplined citizens. We lag far behind in this regard. Teachers must take the lead here.
The development of a nation begins in the classroom. And the classroom begins with the teacher. If we want a better Bangladesh, we must begin by honouring, supporting, and empowering those who teach.
Author is the Vice-Chancellor, United International University (UIU)
