TASK 1: IDENTIFYING THE DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF A

PROBLEM
Identifying Different Dimensions Associated with Urban Poverty
 Poverty in urban areas is heavily linked to population density.
There are some key factors behind this city based diasporic mindset. These are:

More Job Opportunities in Urban Areas- A Myth

Centralization is a common phenomenon which initiates a myriad of problems in our country.
Scopes for a better livelihood create an illusion among the rural dwellers and eventually they
tend to settle in the cities.
People from rural areas do not have the adequate education, knowledge or skills to fit for many
jobs available. The people moving in start living in slums where poverty driven mindset prevails.
Even if their conditions ameliorate, their stability does not last for long and they fall back on the
poverty cycle.

Data Analysis

30% to 45% of the slum dwellers of Bangladesh are physically unstable and almost 60% of the
children living in these slums are dangerously malnourished.
Ref: https://www.thedailystar.net/editorial/slum-dwellers-are-worse-villagers-terms-health76834

Natural Calamities
River erosions, floods etc. cause rural people to lose their homes and they move in cities. Being
homeless, they start living in the slums or wherever they can. This increases the population
density causing more complicacies in the poverty field.

Data analysis

Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS) 2015 found that a rural household spends on
average Tk 759 on house repairs and/or purchases and Tk 5,849 on other emergency
preparedness. Being unable to bear this expense, they decide to shift.
Ref: https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/views/impact-of-climate-change-on-
ruralhouseholds-1580309456
How this flow of diaspora contributed to the poverty drive or whether there are other key factors
or not is a huge discussion which needs analysis.
The main factors are mentioned below:

Health Sector Issues

Lower income groups in the cities do not have proper health care services for which their highest
productivity is not ensured. As a result, they cannot be self-employed or cannot earn from extra
sources which contributes to their low-income lifestyle.
The death of earning head of a family can cause bankruptcy which is caused due to less
available health care services. As a result, health care attributes to poverty more than
apprehended.

Unplanned Infrastructure
Industrialization in Dhaka happened without any proper plan. Companies and industries took
authority of lands and spaces randomly in the past due to which area shortage is happening.
Residential areas have scarcity too and slums reflect the horrific situation widely. Moreover,
traffic congestion in Dhaka is wasting around 3.2 million working hours in the capital, which is
costing the economy billions of dollars.

Data analysis

The Sylhet City Corporation demolished 260 structures claiming them to be illegal as they are
built alongside the River Surma. So, the people depended on those structures were in a live or
death situation.
The current driving speed is hardly seven kilometers an hour, whereas just a decade back the
speed was around 21 kilometers per hour

Ref: https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2019/07/09/sylhet-authorities-
destroy260-illegal-structures-along-surma

Planning System of Government

Government does not properly allocate budgets for poverty sectors. Budget planning does not
have efficient workers for which resources are wasted usually. Proper planning for eradication of
poverty cannot be seen either.
 Utilization and Specialization Issues

People cannot use their resources properly for which small loans are of no use; they waste away
that money without strategies. Training under government or NGOs is not comprehensive for
whatever sector it covers.
As a result, specialization in one sector occurs that makes people lose other possibilities of
having a job.
Thus, if the person loses that job or the company collapses, he might have to be insolvent for a
long time.

Disproportionate ratio of female in workforce

Although 35% growth in female employment was observed during the last era, the number of
females in the workforce of Bangladesh is pretty low considering their male counterparts.
Several factors like lack of transport, toilet, child care facility, security etc. create obstacle for
women in joining the labor force.
Early marriage also plays a role in hindering women from earning. Early marriages have
increased from 52% in 2011 to 59% in the recent years in our country, whereas in many
countries in the world this phenomenon has drastically reduced.
Again, due to automation, women have lost more jobs than men did in this country. For example,
in the RMG sector, female participation was around 80% which has now reduced to 61% .

These dimensions of problems explain that poverty in Bangladesh is stratified in different layers.
The government along with other national and international agencies are together focusing on
achieving the Sustainable Development Goal no. 1 i.e. “No poverty”. While looking for possible
interventions, it must be considered that there is no “One-way solution” to eradicating poverty.
Taking and implementing short-term and long-term plans is a necessity if poverty is to be
removed from this nation once and for all.
TASK 2: DEVELOPING A SOLUTION
Reducing Unemployment Among the Highly Educated Youth of Bangladesh
 SHORT TERM SOLUTIONS

Government Funded Tools Loan System

Government can introduce a new type of organization in all the districts of our country that will
have sufficient amount of crafting or working tools for the people to work with.
Any enthusiastic person can provide his or her necessary details to be a member of the
organization and take this equipment on loan for a certain period of time.

Their productions: services and useable products will be offered to the nation in return.
The government will also get a small percentage of share from their income.
This will help the people to be more effective and efficient than they could have been if they had
taken cash on loan from any source.

Developing Secondary Skills

Our educated youths tend to focus on their studies and results more than anything. As a result,
the youths cannot focus on other personal skills and unique talents they have. They choose their
jobs primarily according to their educational background.
So, if something happens to their current job or they don’t get any job due to having too much
candidates for a small amount of posts, they have to remain jobless. But if they equally focus on
their secondary skills, they can have alternative work options to choose.
For example: Learning driving along with academic studies can be beneficial in the crisis
periods. An individual can join as driver to support their family while having no options left.
They can also create a new job sector by combining their education and secondary skills

Minimum wage employee hiring

As our country has lots of companies and organizations, these organizations always face some
problems and the problems urgently need solutions. We can develop an application that will
connect the organizations with the nearby educated youths so that they can help them solving
their problem and get a minimum amount from the companies and organizations. They can also
hire the youths for a fixed period of time.
For example: A company wants to start a project in a certain place and they need to conduct
some researches. So, they can hire some educated youths available at that place to do the work
on behalf of the employees and save their money and time.
 LONG TERM SOLUTIONS

Freelancing Training Organization

Some IT based organizations can be created in the districts having a moderate access to internet
and electricity. Educated youths having enough skills can attain membership of these
organizations.
The organizations will provide them enough training and furnish their skills to become a
successful freelancer (both part time and full time).
The organizations may also help them save their earnings and convert into Bangladeshi currency
which has been a big drawback for our local freelancers from the last few years. In return, the
organizations will have a small portion from their income.

Introducing A Teaching Based Application

An application for mobile devices can be developed. The students willing to teach anyone will
register here according to their teaching capability.
For example: A student who understands and has a vast amount of knowledge on ‘The Usage of
Grammar’ will join as a teacher. Anybody living near his or her locality who needs someone for
improving grammar skills can seek the teacher who will reach out to them.
As there are a lot of topics in the Junior, Secondary and Higher-level studies in our country, a lot
of students can join according to their specialty in any topic.
They will be paid according to their ratings and duration of teaching. The company developing
this application will have a small amount of share from their income.

Agriculture Field Renovation

Bangladesh, having an agriculture-based economy, creates a vast amount of agricultural job

sectors. On the contrary, our youths have brilliant mindsets and innovative thoughts but they are
not that much interested in this sector.
We need to promote the agricultural sectors equally while promoting other wonderful job
sectors.
This needs to be started from the junior school level so that kids can have some alternative aims
for their future.
Government needs to provide enough facilities to the people associated with agriculture and
agriculture-based researches so that students have a great interest to join them.