Election manifestoes must go beyond rhetoric

In the last few decades, Bangladesh has experienced a noticeable economic and social transformation. However, electoral politics and development priorities often haven't properly addressed the needs for key changes such as a skill-based education system, employment generation, poverty alleviation, social protection, and disaster management. In fact, elections have long been less about advancing national vision and more about ensuring political survival. Power, not policy, has dominated the ballot.

As the nation heads towards the 2026 polls, there seems to have been little change in this trend. This entrenched pattern has prevented the consolidation of a policy-oriented democratic culture. Unlike mature democracies where election manifestoes outline clear policy priorities, implementation methodologies, and timelines, our parties promise development and prosperity at sky level without explaining how they will deliver. The absence of strong policy think tanks within major parties further deepens this void, leaving campaign rhetoric to replace genuine strategic roadmaps. Once again, campaign promises in the grassroots revolve around populist appeals such as roads, bridges, or cash incentives rather than structural reforms in education, employment, or governance, for example. Until politics in Bangladesh moves beyond this short-term populism and embraces long-term planning, genuine development will remain an election slogan, not a national agenda.

Sadly, education is one area that political parties often fail to prioritise in their election manifestoes beyond, of course, routine and vague pledges. The sector is celebrated for its gains in access, but continues to be crippled by a persistent crisis of quality. The nation has achieved near-universal enrolment and gender parity in schools, but classrooms still fail to equip students with market-ready skills. Youth unemployment continues to rise as degrees outpace job opportunities. During election seasons, politicians pledge more schools and seats, but rarely address the real crisis: outdated curricula, weak vocational training, and low investment in research and innovation. Without bold reforms linking education to employability, Bangladesh risks producing graduates without futures.

This is already evident among the large number of graduates Bangladesh produces every year, many of whom remain unemployed or underemployed largely because of a lack of skills and competencies required to compete in the job market. This is particularly true for the graduates of the National University, who come from district and upazila level colleges, where there is often a severe shortage of qualified teachers, modern educational instruments, and proper academic facilities. Not surprisingly, the current system functions less as a mechanism supporting quality education and more as a machine producing unemployed or underemployed graduates—not that employment should be the only desirable career path—highlighting an urgent need for educational reform and skills development initiatives.

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Political parties must support the election drive

Skills development can be expanded using existing resources. According to the Bangladesh Technical Education Board, Bangladesh has 50 polytechnic colleges with two specialised colleges (Bangladesh Institute of Glass and Ceramic and Graphic Arts Institute) that produce a large number of skilled diploma engineers every year. Many of these graduates are in high demand in Middle Eastern countries, especially in the fields of civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering. Unlike unskilled workers, these diploma engineers have the technical expertise to secure better-paying jobs abroad. The government could take a strategic initiative to export this skilled labour force under a structured policy. For example, workers could be sent abroad free of cost, with the condition that 10 to 20 percent of their monthly salary would be contributed to the government's fund until their migration costs are recovered. A small amount can also be charged as a service fee. This approach would not only ensure that skilled workers receive higher salaries similar to those from countries like India and Sri Lanka, but it would also increase the country's foreign currency earnings.

Capitalism, as an economic system, has increasingly shown its limitations in many parts of the world, particularly in developing countries like Bangladesh. While it has created job opportunities, it has also intensified inequality and economic dependence, leaving large segments of the population vulnerable. In Bangladesh, the adverse effects of capitalism, especially economic inequality, social exclusion, concentration of wealth, the overreliance on wage-based employment, and the limited scope for entrepreneurship among the general population, are increasingly evident. An analysis of data on natural resources, population growth, the size of the economy, and employment generation indicates that the formal job sector is unlikely to absorb the growing number of graduates. This reality calls for a serious rethinking of the country's economic direction and the development of alternative, non-capitalist economic models that can generate self-employment and community-based enterprises.

Such a system can integrate cooperative models, social business initiatives, and targeted government support to foster a self-reliant community economy. This approach would not only lead to poverty alleviation but also strengthen social protection and community resilience against economic and environmental shocks. By promoting social enterprises, cooperative ventures, and local production networks, Bangladesh can move towards an inclusive and sustainable development pathway. This model would empower citizens as active economic participants rather than passive job seekers, transforming the economy into one rooted in equity, solidarity, and self-reliance.

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Why are we trying to make the election uncertain?

Bangladesh stands at a critical moment in its political and economic journey. But personality-driven politics and partisan battles continue to overshadow the need for evidence-based policymaking, stalling progress in education, employment, and social welfare. To break this cycle, the nation must embrace an inclusive, skills-oriented, and sustainable development policy anchored in institutional reform, and political parties must show greater commitment to this cause, starting with providing manifestoes that move beyond rhetorical promises and instead outline policy commitments backed by realistic implementation plans. The country's future stability depends on aligning politics with policy, putting national progress above party interests.

Sk Abu Jahid is a PhD student at Florida State University in the US. He can be reached at jahid.buet.bd@gmail.com.

Views expressed in this article are the author's own. 

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