**Our salvation lies in quality education. If we can mod ernise our education system to reflect our aspirations and make it accessible to all children, rich and poor, solution to the rest of the problems will be easier.

AS we prepare to welcome the New Year, we tend to look back and evaluate our achievements vis-a-vis our expectations. Soon after our independence, we firmly believed that the spirit of the War of Independence would be our driving force and the sacrifices of three million martyrs the source of inspiration and unity of the people. It was also expected that every citizen of Bangladesh would maintain austerity in life and work with patriotism, sincerity, honesty and devotion for the betterment of the country. Unfortunately, most of the cherished qualities gradually vanished from some of us. To these people, greed has become the driving force, money the inspiration and muscle power the strength. Luckily, the vast majority of the people, comprising farmers, factory workers, expatriate Bangladeshis and day labourers, do not belong to this group. They have been doing their jobs sincerely and honestly. Thanks to their hard work, Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in both economic and social sectors. Of course, we could do much better had we not faulted in some important sectors.

According to the Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International, we are the fourteenth most corrupt country in the world. The beneficiaries of corruption comprise a small fraction of the total population but its impact affects everyone. Though on a smaller scale, corruption started soon after liberation. It multiplied under the military regimes and continued unabated during subsequent governments.

It is unfortunate that forty three years after independence, our political leaders are unable to agree on major national issues and often resort to violence to settle disputes that can otherwise be solved through dialogues. Some of our young boys often indulge in violence, extortion and drugs. There are serious allegations of involvement of the law enforcing agencies in crimes including murders. Unemployment is one of the causes of increased crime rates in the country. There are sad instances of destruction of houses and places of worship belonging to the minority and ethnic com- Our farmers do not get fair prices. The middlemen are robbing both the producers and the consumers of agricultural produce. We are consuming fruits, vegetables and fish contaminated with harmful chemicals. The poor garment workers do not get fair wages for their labour. The gap between the rich and the poor remains wide even though the rate of poverty has been decreasing, albeit at a slow pace.

Traffic in Dhaka is in a chaos. Reckless driving is common on highways resulting in frequent accidents, often causing fatalities. If a bus or truck driver is arrested for any traffic offence, strikes paralyse the transportation system. Similarly, any traffic accident involving the death of a student or factory worker creates road blocks with accompanying vandalism.

Students do not get proper lessons in classrooms and are advised to take private lessons. Question papers are leaked out frequently and examiners are advised by higher authorities to grade answer scripts liberally to make more students pass and get better grades. Some private universities are involved in selling degree certificates without offering courses.

These are some of the issues that worry us. Even though we may not have instant solutions to these issues, it is believed that we have the capability of solving each and every problem provided we all come forward with necessary determination, honesty and sincerity. Under any circumstances, we can't and shouldn't let a handful of greedy people fail a whole nation.

As the New Year is approaching, it is time for us to take a fresh vow to overcome our shortcomings. We may not achieve full success in one year but, at least, let us begin. Our top priority should be education and moral upliftment. Our salvation lies in quality education. If we can modernise our education system to reflect our aspirations and make it accessible to all children, rich and poor, solution to the rest of the problems will be easier. Education is a selfcorrecting but lengthy process. We may have to wait with patience and perseverance to get the end results.

The writer is a former chief engineer of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and author of "Bangladesh: A Perspective of Dynamic Resilience".