- Posted January 23, 2014 by
Cary, North Carolina
This iReport is part of an assignment:
Student voices in journalism
A Country Headed for Prosperity
A country roughly the size of North Carolina (56, 977 square miles) houses the population of half the United States with roughly 155 million people is named one of the most densely populated country in the world per World Bank. Bangladesh has seen an increase in education enrollment, economic and industrial development, and increase in the women's workforce.
Poverty has been a key issue within the country that is not only present in the rural areas, but also in urban areas. According to the World Bank, there is a 19% decrease in poverty within five years. There has been a rapid increase in the demand for energy, transportation, and telecommunication services, but there is a lack of planning and investment causing severe infrastructure deficits (World Bank). Poverty in Bangladesh is not only caused due to the lack of education, high increases in population growth, but also the location of Bangladesh. Bangladesh is located surrounded by bodies of water and unpredictable weather conditions. The country is in 80% floodplains, and high levels of flooding has resulted in 16% of lost income per year. Another reason that contributes to the poverty is high prices in items such as food, clothing, shelter while income is low. The spending power is at roughly $1,400 a year while the earning power is at $500 a year.
According to the World Bank, in the 1990s, there were only 1.1 million girls enrolled in the Bangladeshi educational system, but in 2010 over six million girls were recorded to have been enrolled in secondary school. With the assistance of the World Bank and IDA support, Bangladesh has enrolled 98% girls in primary schools today. Women within the workforce has dramatically increased as well. The garments industry in Bangladesh is 80% women. Previously, United States has sent aid to Bangladesh to enroll girls in schools and prevent childhood marriages for girls under the age of eighteen.
Bangladesh is a country that can experience prosperity, but this will require a change in the economic, political, educational, and criminal institutions. Economic planning and investment will assist in a better infrastructure and a steadier means for growth. Educational reform is a critical need in order to educate about the health care issues and poverty causes. A country that is only a baby in the global scale has seen an increase within their sectors, but still have significant journey ahead in order to create a stable economy, political, educational, and criminal institutions.
World Bank. Bangladesh: Bolstering Economic Growth to Reduce Poverty. 15 April 2013.