Dhaka, Nov. 23 -- When the authoritarian government of Sheikh Hasina was challenged in the summer of 2024, the largest demographic that was at the forefront against it was the youth of the country. The frustration that gave rise to their heroic stand against tyranny has definite links with the lacklustre economy of the country, beset by vices like corruption, inefficiency, and weak institutions. While the rest of the world has been progressing steadily towards a strong skills-based future for labour, the declining education sector of the country, from primary to tertiary level, has failed to keep up with the challenge posed by this development in a globalised world for the future of the youth of Bangladesh.

While these assertions sound c...