Dhaka, Dec. 18 -- For more than a decade, Bangladesh has stood as one of the most forward-moving nations in South Asia, steadily expanding its educational landscape while simultaneously preparing a young population for the demands of the global economy. Yet certain narratives continue to insist that our education system is fundamentally mismatched with industrial needs-a claim that oversimplifies realities, undervalues national progress, and risks eroding public confidence at a critical moment of transition.

It has become fashionable to describe Bangladesh as "degree-rich but skill-poor," but such rhetoric does not withstand comprehensive scrutiny. When a nation expands access to education at a historic scale, temporary imbalances natura...