SDGs and Bangladesh
Employment oriented, productive and hands on education could be promoted to ensure optimum output
Md. Joynal Abdin
Bangladesh has significant achievements in attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). For example, Bangladesh being able to reduced poverty from 56.7per cent in 1991-92 into 31.5per cent in 2010 and finally 24.8 per cent in 2015. Similarly, our achievement in achieving universal primary education, reducing child mortality, promoting gender equality and women empowerment was outstanding globally.
Global leaders adopted a set of new development goals on January 01, 2016 in a historic UN Summit to be achieved by 2030. These new 17 goals are known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs are focused to overcoming poverty (1), overcoming hunger (2), healthy life (3), quality education (4), gender equality (5), access to clean water and sanitation (6), access to clean energy in affordable cost (7), economic growth through decent work (8), industrialization along with innovation and required infrastructure (9), reducing inequalities (10), inclusive and resilient cities (11), sustainable production and consumption (12), controlling climate change (13), proper management of resources under water (14), sustainable use of resources on land (15), peace through justice and effective institutional setup (16), finally global partnership to achieve the goals (17).
It is visible that, few goals of SDG are the continuation of the goals of MDGs. For example, 1st goal of MDG separated under two different heads poverty and hunger as the 1st and 2nd goals of SDG. Primary education target of MDG is enlarged here in SDG as quality education. Similarly, gender equality, environmental sustainability and global partnership to achieve the goals are common is both the goals namely the MDGs and SDGs. There are some additional targets in SGDs like decent work and economic growth, industry innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, inclusive and sustainable cities, responsive consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace, justice and strong institutional setup etc. New goals of SDG are mainly focusing on two major themes namely economic growth as a catalyst of poverty reduction secondly sustainable development with a care to the environment.
All of the 17 goals are interrelated and very much linked with each others. For example, no hunger will be achieved while zero poverty could be ensured. Similarly, we can state that, there will be zero poverty while no hungry people will be there in the society. There could be a long debate which one comes first, zero poverty or no hunger. Other goals like quality education versus economic growth may be placed in such a debate, quality education requires adequate economic investment to train up human resources, establish libraries and laboratories etc. On the other hand, a well-educated nation could earn sustainable economic prosperity. So which one comes first, economic growth or quality education? Similar debate could be argued with the goal reducing inequalities versus inclusive and resilience cities.
Now it is almost one and half years gone to set targets, outputs, outcomes etc. tools to measure the achievements of SDGs. Like other 193 nations Bangladesh is also working out to adopt SDG focused policies, action plans etc. We are enacting SDG oriented laws, policies, projects so on and so forth. But the reality is that, a country like Bangladesh has limited resources to focus on all these 17 goals of SDG. Therefor we have to select one or two goals to work with full strength which will facilitate achieving other goals as well. These two goals could be termed as the start with goals of SDGs. I am here to propose goal 4 i.e. quality education and goal 9 i.e. industry, innovation and infrastructure as the start with goals of SDGs for Bangladesh.
Currently we are in need of achieving these two goals first, these will facilitate achievement of other goals like, quality education could lead us towards poverty reduction, zero hunger, gender equality, responsive consumption and production etc. Similarly, industry innovation and infrastructure could lead us towards decent work and economic growth, reduction of inequality, no poverty and zero hunger etc.
Therefore, the government of Bangladesh could declare goal 4 and 9 of SDG as preparatory goals and work intensively on these for next 10 years. Employment oriented, productive and hands on education could be promoted to ensure optimum output of education. Similarly promoting industrialization, innovation and infrastructure development could be strengthened for employment generation, increasing economic growth, export earnings, poverty alleviation within shortest possible period. Different ministries will work on achieving different SDG goals but maximum budgetary allotment as well as attention of the government should go for quality education and promoting industrialization, innovation and infrastructure development for next 10 years in Bangladesh. Within this period, we will achieve strengths and qualified manpower to attain other 15 SDG goals within the last 5 years of SDG period. Therefore 2015-25 decade should be decade of quality education and industry, innovation and infrastructure development (SDG Goal 4 9) in Bangladesh. If we could make justifiable progress in these two goals, then Bangladesh will automatically achieve other goals within the period of 2025-2030.
Government, non-government, autonomous, NGO operated, local and foreign all the educational institute should get maximum budgetary, policy, instrumental support of the government to ensure quality education. At the same time industrialization, innovation and infrastructure development should get maximum priority of the government for next 10 years. Thus Bangladesh could start its journey towards the achievement of SDGs by 2030 and ensure its optimum result.
The writer is Executive Director (Additional Secretary)
DCCI Business Institute (DBI)
