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Spotlight

Prove the worth of our independence

Chowdhury Asif Mahmud-Bin-Harun

NOW that we have lived a past with the pride of calling ourselves Bangladeshi, it is still hard for me to have it the same way if I just take a look around and find ourselves lingering far away from fulfilling the dreams of our ancestors who believed that we would rather be a much better nation with the highest security and the best facilities if we gain independence. Yes, today we are independent, but only from another nation. Not from poverty or insecurity which stood out to be this country's biggest challenge to overcome. As a university student I would like to see an all in all change. As in, I would like to have a country with a better security, social environment and a country with the highest facilities for its people. My country will not have any political brawl rather there would be cooperation among the political parties and general people to overcome the bigger challenges to ensure us a better tomorrow. This country would sing in a composed melody of joy and success. For me, in the future I would really love to see no load shedding or traffic jams in particular. And keeping a 'Digital Nation' in the mind, the two most important changes which are required I believe is the technology and the education system. Let the children of this country get familiar with the latest technology from the very beginning of their education. Let all the poor and the illiterate people get to know how to use computers and surf Internet. Winds of change have started to blow! Now is the time to get on with it! Let it be me, you and all the people around us. Know that, it is us who represents the republic of Bangladesh. Then let it be us, to change this country and prove the worth of our independence.

BRAC UNIVERSITY

Early Marriage

Atanu Dev

WHEN I heard about Rabia's death, I cannot explain how shocking the news was for me. She was my neighbour and a childhood friend but she came from a poor family and got married a year ago at the age of 16. She died because of early pregnancy. And the horrifying news was, Mostafa a 14 year old boy who lived in the nearby district town of Kishoregong got married with a girl of his age with the approval of the society. However, on one side, many social organisations with the support of electronic and print media supporting their movement against early marriage, at the same time in a dark corner of our society such evil practices are going on. In the village of Karmuli in Kishoregonj three early marriages were held within a week. Even though the social leaders are aware of the adverse effects of early marriage, no action has been taken to change this. In these circumstances they have become mere spectators. A recent survey said that, 66 percent of the total marriages in a year is due to early marriages in our country. Early marriages are occurring in our society due to lack of consciousness, ignorance and avoiding responsibility. Early marriage is a curse towards our development. Through this special edition I want to see a change in our society regarding the concept of early marriages.

A better education system

Eshan H. Newaz

IT was another dreary day at school and as the teacher's voice droned on and on I stared into space outside the window with my chin propped between my hands. Suddenly a building outside the window grabbed my attention. It was a school building. What made my jaws part and my eyebrows arch was the contrast between the classroom where I was sitting and the dark classrooms where students my age were sitting. Whereas our classroom had more than six lights illuminating the room, their classroom had none and looked dark and almost dingy. Our classroom had an AC and fans to maintain a comfortable temperature while their classroom was humid and uncomfortable. Three to four students were crammed on a single bench in their class, whereas in my classroom I had the privilege to slouch on my own seat. I don't know if it was the change in the teacher's voice or the school building I just saw, but I suddenly sat up and started paying attention in class. But the thought was still at the back of my head, how could someone learn anything in a classroom like that?

Unfortunately, the scene I saw outside the window is not the worst-case scenario. You just have to flip through the newspapers of the past few weeks and you will find numerous articles about how so-and-so school building is falling apart and injuring students and how students are forced to study in open air because they don't have a good school building. Moreover many public schools have so many students jam-packed in one classroom that the teacher is unable to give equal attention to everyone during class. Even in some schools, which do have a suitable study environment the courses taken by students involve memorizing stuff and spitting it out when jabbed in the ribs, and critical thinking, is not in their dictionary.

But then again when you point a finger at someone else, three others point at you. Those of us who have the privilege to have good education should not look at it as a mere privilege but as an enormous responsibility to help others. And since the talk of how education is the backbone of the society never becomes a cliché, let our first priority be to help our nation establish a better education system to grasp the best that future has to offer to us. So next time when you blow out the candles and someone cries out “Make a wish! Make a wish!” wish out loud, I want a better education system in Bangladesh. And I'm sure if you listen closely you will hear the winds of change echoing your words.

(12th grade, William Carey Academy)