The Lost Future of Our Youth:Will the New Government Open the Door of Hope
Not long ago, a post on Facebook shook me. A Bangladeshi man in France shared that he earned 169 euros- about 21,000 taka- after driving Uber for 12 hours. He wrote with pride, saying this is why he risked his life crossing the sea. In his mind, that backbreaking shift was worth more than a whole month’s struggle in Bangladesh. That story carries the bitter taste of truth. But should risking your life on a dark sea ever be the price of dignity? To him it seemed the only path. But deep down we know this is not the future our youth deserve. So, the question burns: what future are we offering our young people? Graduates with prized degrees roam without work. Those who do find jobs are underpaid, undervalued, and crushed by frustration. No wonder driving for minimum wage abroad feels like “success.” No wonder more than half of our youth dream of leaving the country. A British Council report shows 55% want to go abroad for study or work. Forty-two percent worry about unemployment. One-third of unemployed educated youth drift into crime. Tell me, how long can a nation survive like this? And if they do go abroad, are they destined only to drive Ubers and wash dishes? Is that the sum of their talent and ambition? Absolutely not. Our youth are not meant for scraps. They are meant to lead, to create, to compete at the highest levels of the global economy. With Former US Congressman Jim Moran Yet, right now, too many are simply stuck. A survey shows 40% of Bangladeshi youth are “inactive”- not in school, not in training, not in work. Among young women, that number climbs past 60%. Numbers like these should break our pride into pieces. We often boast of the “demographic dividend.” We talk about our youth as our strength. But what good is a dividend if we don’t invest it wisely? What good is a dream if it ends in despair? Here is the root: our education system. It produces degrees, but not the skills employers demand. That is why so many graduates sit idle. That is why the best minds pack their bags. The solution is not charity. The solution is not blind hope. The solution is skills- real, work-ready skills. Education that matches the market. Classrooms that prepare students not for unemployment, but for contribution. At Washington University of Science and Technology in the US, we built such a model. It is simple but powerful: Degree, Skills, Career. Students don’t just memorize. They practice. They learn from professors who are also industry experts, who bring 18 years of real-world experience straight into the classroom. The class becomes a workplace. The workplace becomes a future. Why is this urgent? Because the world has already changed. Entry-level jobs are vanishing—swallowed by AI. Generative AI agents now do the simple tasks that once gave millions a living. Survival now demands higher-level skills. Only those who master the new tools will thrive.…




