Education and Development: Policies, Preferences and Performances of Education Sector in Bangladesh

Abstract

The positive impacts of education on development are recognised. There is also a gap between what education is expected to achieve and what have been achieved in very many developing countries. This paper gives an empirical account of education policies, preferences and performances of students in Bangladesh. It draws together observations and threads of a number of research works. The analysis directs our attention to the likelihood of graduated students remaining unemployed owing to differences between the number of graduates and jobs available for them. Further analysis suggests that education policies and social values influence the choice of education. Higher education has always been given priority by the national policy makers. Neither national policy makers nor students and their parents give a positive thought over job oriented vocational education. Education policies failed to provide with conditions necessary for enterprising activities among young students. Those also perpetuate the tendency of spending on unskilled human resources. As an outcome, inefficiency and waste of resources (both economic and human) is notably high owing to the limited capacity of the labour market to absorb the graduated students. These have created a phenomenon of educated unemployed. A significant part of the potential resources of the society are excluded from participation in socio-economic development. In concluding, this paper argues for going beyond higher education and fostering a reorientation of values and practices of technical and vocational education.

Keywords: Bangladesh; Education; Development; Social values; Vocational education