Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus’s call for South Asian academics to align education with both the aspirations of students and the demands of the market is one that ought to be heeded, especially by the relevant authorities of our higher education institutions. 

For too long, Bangladesh has clung to outdated curricula and rote learning - with the result being an astonishing number of graduates who continue to struggle to find meaningful work. 

This graduate unemployment has been a growing issue, and this widening gap between youthful ambition and economic reality is an everyday reminder that our education system is not working as it is meant to.

The chief adviser is also right to insist that education must reflect both sides of the equation - students getting their creativity and resilience valued while employers need graduates who can adapt, innovate, and solve problems. 

The challenge for our education institutions therefore is to devise strategies to bridge this gap, and that will not happen without embracing  urgent reform. 

We need curricula that reflect the skills of the times we live in such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and digital literacy. Important also are industry-academia partnerships that must be strengthened to anticipate future skills. 

Arguably most important is the need for student voices to be heard so that future policies that will define and shape their lives have their input.

Youth unemployment is a significant destabilizing force, and global competitiveness also demands a workforce possessing the necessary skills. As such, the future health of this country and ensuring that we remain a nation that trends upwards rests on universities no longer churning out degrees that are not cognizant of not only what the students want, but also what the market demands.