The Daily Star has always been eager to connect with youngsters, whom it considers to be the nation-builders of tomorrow, and in an attempt to further strengthen this relationship, a seminar was held at The Daily Star Centre in Dhaka with the top O and A Level scorers . 

The seminar was titled "Future Bangladesh – Share your Dream" and that is exactly what Mahfuz Anam, Editor and Publisher of The Daily Star encouraged the students to do. In his opening speech he said, "This is your day, say what's in your heart. Articulate your hopes and frustrations, and as a newspaper, we'd like to do something if we can."

In his speech, Professor Omar Rahman, Vice Chancellor of Independent University Bangladesh, stressed on the excitement that youth brings. "The best thing about being young is that you don't know what you don't know," he said. He talked about the facilities IUB has to offer: "A great university creates the aspiration that students can change the world. What do you want? We want to give it to you." 
Saidur Rahman, Country Manager of Edexcel in Bangladesh, followed up by welcoming the students to the seminar. 

The proceedings continued as the Editor of TDS encouraged the students to share their ideas on education, parents' roles in their upbringing, urbanisation, agriculture and industry. Opinions were exchanged about how the internet was a game changer, about local education and bridging the gap that exists between the different curricula in Bangladesh.

Students suggested creating more educational and job opportunities in our country. Social issues like corruption, wage gap and sexual harassment were brought up. Most students agreed that they wanted to study in Bangladesh as long as they were provided financial aid, and fairer admission tests in public universities. 

Some of the students came up with some excellent points. Khadiza Karim Chowdhury, from Academia, said, "I would like to see more vocational courses for students, internship opportunities, and state assistance for deserving students who want to study at top international universities." 

Nabil Rahman, from Bangladesh International School, talked about the political turmoil, which he felt, is an obstruction to students' achievements. "I wanted to take this platform to get a message across that deep down we all want to contribute, so long as we're given the proper environment," he said. 

Tasnim Farah Zaman, from Maple Leaf International School, talked about the general perception among parents about private universities. "Just because it's more difficult to get into a public university doesn't mean they are necessarily better, and parents should be able to realise that," she said.

Mohammad Fahim Tajwar secured the highest score in A Levels from Bangladesh. He said, "When I attended the International Physics Olympiad last year, I was given a device called the Nanoscale Acousto-Optic Piezoelectric Transducer for my experimental test. I had never seen or heard of it, and after spending an hour on the manual, I pressed a button which resulted in me having two points deducted for experimental dismantling." He believes that exposure to experimental sciences early on is one field where education in Bangladesh could improve.

The seminar was all about sharing dreams, and it would be a shame to see them die soon after. To keep the visions alive, The Daily Star intends to work with these young achievers and has launched a Facebook page, "Tomorrow's Leaders", from the event. 

PHOTOS: DARSHAN CHAKMA