Speakers, including students, youth leaders and activists on Saturday called on the government to take and implement state policies for employment generation to curb unemployment crisis, an aspiration of the student-led mass uprising.
They said that the government must increase state-run industries, ensure security for them and take policies to produce necessary items in the country reducing import dependency.聽聽聽
The speakers also said that due to the lack of an entrepreneur-friendly environment, including the assurance of financial support and security of the investments, the government could not curb the unemployment crisis.
They mentioned that unemployment crisis in the country made the educated youths frustrated leading them to commit suicide.
They also demanded the government to address the issue.聽
Bangladesh Youth Front, the youth wing of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist), organised the youth dialogue marking the organisation鈥檚 first founding anniversary at Teacher-Student Centre on the Dhaka University campus.
Researcher, writer and activist Maha Mirza was present as guest at the dialogue, which was presided over by Bangladesh Youth Front convener Rashed Shahriar.
Rashed said that resolving the unemployment crisis was a primary aspiration of the student-led mass uprising that forced Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India bringing an end to the 15 years of autocratic regime of the Awami League government.
He mentioned that defining a problem was the primary step towards its solution but the unemployment crisis in the country had not been defined yet.
Referring to the capitalist countries about their investments in the education sector, Rashed addressed the lack of investments in the education sector in Bangladesh.
He said that reduction of the higher education rate to curb the educated unemployment was not acceptable.
Maha said that no government in the country from the 70s onwards had effective employment generation policies in their principles.
She said that a government should emphasise the importance of reducing import dependency by producing necessary items in the country that could be an effective step to generate employment.
Mentioning the flourishing history of garment industry in the country, she said that a state policy was a must for development of any industry.
She, however, criticised the garment factory owners for removing workers and the unhealthy practice of taking incentives from the government for the owners鈥� benefit only.
Maha also criticised the previous governments for the downfall of state-run factories, including jute and sugar and stressed the need for developing state-run industries to create employment opportunities.
Students of different universities also participated in the dialogue and called for state policies for employment generation.聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
Nrityananda Das, a student of Bangladesh Agricultural University, said that employment was a basic right of a citizen and the government must ensure employment of the citizens.
Speakers also expressed their frustration over the interim-government鈥檚 lack of visible activities to address unemployment crisis in the country.