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HDR 2000 and Bangladesh

How the Position Can be Raised ?

By K. M. Nurul Huda
r | Vie United Nation Develop ment Programme (UNDP) JL publishes Human Development Report (HDR) every year since 1990. It ranks the degree of achievements of people tn different countries using quality-of-life measures. HDR does not consider all aspects of Universal Human Rights but only three. Comprehensive cohesion of these three variables does influence the Rosition of a country in HDR.
atural calamity might have affected the position oi Bangladesh in HDR 2000 in addition to its chronic problems related to low rate of literacy. Quality education for the people of a country has no alternative vis-a-vis occupying an honourable position in HDR.
At the Initial years of HDR the quality of life measures included (1) opportunity to freely choose profession and life styles; (il) right to receive full and free education: and (ill) freedom from fiolittcal oppression. These actors might have problems in quantification of components for computing the position of a country more accurately. UNDP has thus considered life expectancy at birth, educational attainment, and GDP per capita for placing a country on HDR 2000.
Human Development Index (HDD is a tool that analyzes HDR. HDI Is not a Human Poverty Index. National wealth or financial position of a country is only a considerable factor that measures HDI but not the end. Similarly other two factors arc not the absolute measuring criteria of HDR. To exemplify this argument one can consider
that Luxembourg being at the top in respect of real GDP per capita among the 174 countries under consideration occupies only 17th position on HDR both in 1999 and 2000. Similarly the USA being the largest economy in the world could not top the list tn HDR. Again Germany. France and other such countries having almost 100 per cent literacy rate are lying behind Canada. Norway and Iceland for other factors that might have negated their HDI. Further more Japan having the best life expectancy in the world could not exceed Canada, the USA and others. It is thus indicative that a decent combination of the three factors can help push a country up for a better position on HDR. Prescription for one factor Ignoring the other may not help reach any desired target in HDR for a coun-
Bangladesh occupies 146th position in 2000 in HDR heading four steps forward than that of 1999. But it is lying behind all SAARC countlies and unfortunately at the lowest ebb in Asia. Bangladesh held 146th position also tn 1994. In that year the position of Bhutan. Nepal and a few Aslan countries were behind Bangladesh. Though these countries are still lying within the 'low human development' group they have secured a better position through passage of six years time since 1994. Nevertheless it may not be wise to expect that Bangladesh should go much high within a near future given her consistent impedi-
ments: illiteracy, low life expectancy. high poverty and poor GDP per capita. The literacy rate of Bangladesh is only 60 per cent. It has 60.8 years Ilic expectancy against 80.00 in Japan and 70+ in other 75 countries within the group of 174 (1999). Her 44.7 per cent (58.1 million, close to total population of the UK) people are living below poverty line. She has only USS 369 GDP per capita income (on an average USS 1.00 for a person in a day against US$ 85.56 for a citizen of Luxembourg). These factors that qualify a country for better position in HDR are not conducive for Bangladesh. Evidently Bangladesh have to go a long way keeping development efforts sustainable for attaining a better position in HDR.
HDR 2000 has been published on the basis of Information and statistics of 1998. The year was very distressing for Bangladesh's people and economy. The country experienced an antagonistic situation tn that year for the prolonged and devastating Hood of tnc century. About 30 million people of 53 districts were severely affected. Agriculture sector alone incurred a loss of about US$ 720 million besides huge loss in industries, trade and commerce. "As a result, the projected food deficit for 1998-99 increased from its normal level of 2.1 million metric tons to 4.3 million metric tons", A poor country like Bangladesh needed more than USS 885 million for rehabilitation of the affected people. Government thus exerted all out
efforts to feed the poor peoples and to rehabilitate tnc economic sectors. Hence HDR based on the progress of 1998 might not have projected the prevalent situation of the country. The apparent socio-economic trend oi Bangladesh may show improved position in the coming years.
Mass Illiteracy of a country Is a major hindrance from attaining good place on HDR. Illiteracy. poverty and poor health condition in a developing country constitute different vicious cycles for the people. One of them moves like: illiteracy lowincome malnutrition high child mortality less life expectancy. Now Illiteracy contributes to poverty in a country because the illiterate people are unfit to have access to better employment opportunities. They cannot produce quality goods and services. Thus they get poor wages. Their low Income does not support them to procure necessary food for themselves as well as for their dependents. They all suffer from malnutrition. Low Income also forces them to house In unhealthy living condition. The children and women, the pregnant ones in particular, become the victims of malnutrition and sub-human living environment because both Bi need nutritious food and y living environment for their growth and giving birth to healthy baby respectively.
The children are thus born and brought up in poor health. With poor health they cannot acquire necessary resistance
against common diseases and fall sick. The parents with low-income fall to afford better treatment for their sick children culminating In their early death, Because they live in poor conditions "more than 30.000 children die a day from mainly preventable causes". The poor people also cannot afford to take proper care of their own health. Those who survive through many odds in life cannot enter in the work force of the country as healthy and strong workers. Eventually the entire production system suffers from the weak working force of a country thus affecting GDP. Again, poor peo-Blc need family support from iclr children. For this reason they do not want to spare the kids for schooling. By turn the children of a poor family Join the Illiterate mass and move within the same cycle. In this way the illiterate people with low income cannot breakthrough the poverty trap. This is how the HDI of a developing country suffers from non-attainment of an honourable position In HDR.
Of the three components of HDR variables education certainly can play the pivotal role to influence HDI. An educated person is self-esteemed with confidence. He cannot be subject to neglect, deprivation and exploitation by the Influential people of society. Education makes a person conscious of general health, food habit, living condition, child care, civil rights, political rights, human rights, responsibility and obligation to family, society and state and
finally of "a decent standard of living . An educated person can have access to resource base, Information technology, and high tech-know!edge that are the most vital requisites for progress in the modern world. Information based knowledge is the dominant factor in the modern economy that can only be acquired through appropriate education. An educated person equipped with technical knowledge can bring about changes in his life style as well as can contribute towards the national economy. In this process the educated workforce can enhance per capita income of a country and ensure long life of Its people.
According to government sources about 40 per cent of 130.00 million people of Bangladesh are still left illiterate. Government however has taken a number of steps to raise the level of education for making Its peo-f>Ic empowered to face the cnal-enges of time. At the same time the authority reposed with the responsible of raising the rate of literacy should bear in mind that mere education Is not enough for entering into the modern workforce for a world that is full of sophisticated technology. They need to be widely oriented with computer. Internet and other systems of Information technology. By doing this the state of Illiteracy can be converted into a state of literacy for the people with high Income, healthy and longer life expectancy and more production capacity for positive reflection in HDR.
The writer is Joint Secretary. Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat.