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There could be a substantial rise in the number of dropouts in the educational institutions due to the reverse trend in the country's poverty situation, triggered by the ongoing pandemic, a post-budget discussion was told on Saturday in Dhaka.
A keynote paper presented at the discussion noted that the poverty rate increased to 44 per cent as a result of the Covid-19.
Eshrat Sharmin, a fellow at the SANEM, while presenting the paper said this poverty rate will impact the youths, especially the students as there may be a surge in dropout rates.
Former Bangladesh Bank governor Dr. Atiur Rahman taking part in the discussion said this is not right time for resuming ride-sharing services as the pandemic is expanding in urban areas.
"The worst-affected areas are Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Chattogram and ride-sharing vehicles ply mainly in these districts,' Dr Rahman said while reacting to a proposal for the resumption of ride-hailing apps.
"In my view, resumption of ride sharing will not be the right decision this time," Dr. Rahman said.
The SANEM (South Asian Network on Economic Modeling) organised the discussion through the virtual platform.
Dr Rahman said this time the youth may start innovative start-ups in the health sector.
He said the "smart investments" like investing in masks, hand gloves manufacturing may be encouraged for the welfare of the people.
Earlier, CEO of Pathao Hussain Elius, a ride-sharing startup, proposed that the government should allow ride-sharing in cities, considering its growth and job losses of around 300,000 drivers.
Pathao CEO said that drivers have lost their income because of the barriers to ride-sharing platforms.
"I am not seeking any incentives, rather seeking permission for resuming ride- sharing services in cities," the CEO of Pathao said.
The Pathao CEO, who joined the discussion as panelist, said the investment in start-ups in Bangladesh is low compared with its peer economies. He said over the last five years, investment in start-ups is around US$200 million.
The SANEM organised the programme in collaboration with ActionAid.
It was moderated by Sayema Haque Bidisha, a faculty at the Department of Economics of the University of Dhaka.
Parliamentarian Nahim Razzaq was the chief guest in the dialogue.
Speaking as the chief guest, Mr. Razzaq said Bangladesh should explore how to diversify its export earnings.
"We must explore opportunities in this critical time," he said, adding the excessive reliance on readymade garment should be reduced.
Terming Bangladesh a welfare state, Mr. Razzaq said the government has allocated Tk. 955 billion for the social safety net programmes in the next fiscal year.
Mahtab Uddin, a faculty of the University of Dhaka, said if there is 1.0 per cent dropout in educational institutions, that will be around 400,000.
He said there is no short-term impact of closure on educational institutions, but those fell under the poverty and dropped out, it will have long-term consequences.
Sanem executive director Dr Selim Raihan, ActionAid Bangladesh country director Farah Kabir alao attended the dialogue.