Bangladesh Preparing for Its Youth’s Future

25 January 2026. Justice Shahabuddin Park in Dhaka. There was no stage, no barricade. Under the open sky, Tarique Rahman stood face-to-face with questions from young people. The occasion was the “My Vision for Bangladesh” reel competition. More than 2,000 young people submitted videos depicting their vision of Bangladesh’s future. The winners directly asked questions about education, employment, the environment and a corruption-free country. At the end of the session, Tarique Rahman, who was not prime minister at that time, said that Bangladesh’s youth were ready to participate in national policymaking. The statement, therefore, was a promise made before assuming power. Now that his government has completed six months, it is time to turn the question around. Is the State Preparing Itself for Its Young People?
The context is not simple. This August, the International Labour Organization reported that global youth unemployment stood at 12.4% in 2025, while more than 257 million young people were not in education, employment or training (NEET). In Bangladesh, around 14 million young people, according to World Bank, entered the working-age population between 2016 and 2022, while only 8.7 million jobs were created. The gap is reflected in the certificates hanging on the walls of millions of families–with no appointment letter beside them. The reason is no secret. For decades, Bangladesh’s education system has produced certificates rather than skills.
It is from this point that the current government’s youth policy has begun its journey. On 7 June, speaking at a teachers’ training programme, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said that the country needs skills- and technology-based, employment-oriented education rather than certificate-dependent learning. In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence, he stated that there is no alternative to moving beyond outdated curricula.
The idea has not remained confined to speeches. A framework has been incorporated into the 2026-27 national budget: from Grade Six onward, every student will be expected to acquire at least one market-oriented skill, from agriculture and graphic design to healthcare and construction. Alongside Bangla and English, students will also be encouraged to learn a third language, such as Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Arabic, French or German. They will also be introduced to artificial intelligence, robotics and coding in the classroom.
There is another decision that has received comparatively little attention but may prove to be one of the most important: the establishment of employment exchanges at district and upazila levels. The system will match registered young people’s skills with available jobs. Those lacking the required skills will be directed towards training programmes. A young person will no longer have to search for job advertisements alone; an institution will stand between the young worker and the labour market. And because the initiative is designed to operate at the upazila level, it is not inherently Dhaka-centric. Young people in rural areas will also be part of the system.
Alongside job-seeking, there is also an emphasis on creating jobs. To encourage entrepreneurship among students, the government has decided to provide seed funding and innovation grants for business ideas developed on campuses. The 2026-27 budget includes a Tk500 crore startup fund for young and women entrepreneurs. Scattered funding initiatives are also being brought together under an integrated startup financing framework, while a modern startup policy is being formulated. The government has also announced a target of creating 200,000 jobs annually in the technology sector, along with another 800,000 jobs in freelancing and creative industries. The objective can be summed up in one sentence: young people should not merely chase jobs; they should create jobs.
There are tested models to draw from. Germany has reduced youth unemployment by combining workplace training with vocational education. Singapore has made lifelong learning a habit through its SkillsFuture programme. In India, more than 1.7 million young people joined apprenticeship programmes last year.
The common thread in all these experiences is clear: breaking down the wall between education and working life. And there is evidence that such a model can work in Bangladesh too. Under a World Bank-supported programme, more than 17,000 Bangladeshi young people completed apprenticeships, and nearly 90 per cent of them are now employed or running their own businesses. 
There is also a need to be honest. A large part of these initiatives remains at the announcement or early implementation stage. The government is only six months old, and changing a curriculum takes years, while building institutions takes even longer. But the encouraging aspect is that the difficult questions (whether plans will reach beyond Dhaka, whether women and marginalised youth will be included, or whether training will actually lead to jobs) have been identified by the government and placed at the centre of its planning.
The upazila-level employment exchanges are an answer to the Dhaka-centric model. Dedicated funding for women entrepreneurs and plans to ensure free education for girls through graduation are intended to address inclusion. Skills matching and industry-linked apprenticeships are designed to bridge the gap between training and employment. This is where the strength of Tarique Rahman’s youth policy lies: the problems are not placed at the end of the list; they are being considered at the beginning of the design.
So, how far away is a Bangladesh built for its youth? The distance is not reduced by announcements. It is reduced through implementation. And that work has now begun: funds have been allocated, policies are being formulated, and institutional frameworks are being designed. Bangladesh knows from experience what a sound policy decision can return to a country, a generation later.
Three decades ago, decisions were made to provide girls with free education and stipends. The girl who went to school with the help of that stipend is today’s working woman and entrepreneur. If today’s decisions are implemented properly, Bangladesh three decades from now will reap the benefits of today’s commitments.
That day at the park, Tarique Rahman said the youth were ready. The statement was his. The evidence is ours: the 2,000 reels, the voices raised with questions, and a generation drawing its own vision of the future across campuses. Ready youth and a state preparing to become ready for them – that is what a Bangladesh for the youth should mean. Because the equation is ultimately simple: The future of Bangladesh is the future of its youth. If the youth stand strong, Bangladesh will stand strong too.
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The writer is Health Secretary at Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal’s Bogura district unit and Vice-President at the party’s Dhaka Metropolitan West central committee