In the West and, increasingly in parts of the East, people feel the impact of technological development and advancement. India is one of the top countries to advance technologically, and as a result, socioeconomically, in the past decade. However its neighbor, Bangladesh, seems to be stuck in a technological rut.
The Bangladeshi population relies heavily on imported technology. People pay a premium on the foreign technology, and innovation in the country is almost nonexistent.
Like many third world countries, eduction and economics play a large role in this problem. There are very few educational institutes that offer high quality IT education in Bangladesh, and their costs are very high which makes them less accessible to most people. Some private organizations have opened independent institutes, mainly in Dhaka (the capital), but these lack structure and quality in their course systems. This makes Bangladeshis who graduate not educationally fit to become IT personnel in global market.
A National Science and Technology Policy has been formulated and adopted by the Bangladeshi government, however it is still in its primary stages of existence and does not yet have a hugely effective presence in Bangladesh.
These facts align with my personal experience as a Bangladeshi. Cousins and friends buy tech products such as cameras, phones and computers from neighboring India or even from here in the U.S.. Many of them also come to the U.S. to complete a college education, because of the unreliability of a degree from Bangladesh. One of my relatives, who completed his six-year degree in Bangladesh in Accounting, is now going back to school to essentially redo his college education so that his credentials may be accepted for employment here. This is only accounting; I can only imagine how tough it must be for someone who is an IT major.
It is apparent that Bangladesh has alot of work to do in the tech department. However in order to improve, other facets of the country such as education and economics must improve first. The government has alot of work to do.
Rahmina Begum
