Are we listening to our adolescents?

To understand what our adolescents dream about the future, researchers at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) under the finance ministry conducted an explorative survey between August and September 2021. All eight divisions of Bangladesh and different types of educational systems were covered in this survey, conducted on 145 adolescents. According to the study, adolescents dream of various off-track professions, like being a YouTuber, professional gamer, content creator, voice artiste, philanthropist, cricketer player, etc, in addition to the mainstream professions like doctor, engineer, teacher, banker, lawyer, and maulana (religious preacher). The findings were included in the National Human Development Report 2021.

The adolescents surveyed expressed interest in studying specific subjects that can help them realise their dreams, like fine arts and painting, content creation, and social media growth or ICT. "Yet, they were trapped in the traditional classroom-learning structure, which has little or no significant role in fulfilling their dreams. Some were even ready to quit from this traditional mainstream schooling system that is not modern and unable to accommodate the arrays of dreams and goals of their lives," the report highlighted.

The findings of this survey demonstrate the disconnect between the ambitions of our adolescents and what the present education system offers. What about their parents? Things are beginning to change slowly, and some parents are respecting the dreams of their children. Still, in many cases, a child's dream to become a singer, artist, photographer, or an astronaut is often criticised and dismissed as unrealistic.

The pressure of expectations from parents can be detrimental to realising the creative desires of adolescents. Parental expectations are based on their assumptions of success, while children may have completely different views of what they want to do with their own lives. It is quite common for parents to force children to study a particular discipline when they go to university. If one wants to make a meaningful contribution to any sector, then one has to work with passion and commitment. If young people study something against their wishes, it is likely that they will be frustrated and unhappy about both their work and lives.

I had a group discussion with adolescents in Tangail several years ago, where a girl said, "If parents thought that singing or playing would help us get good grades, then they would encourage us to do so." This is a sad reminder that examination results have become the main focus of education, which explains the huge dependency of students on coaching centres and private tuition.

Presently, students in Bangladesh are so busy with studies that they hardly find time for extracurricular activities such as sports, music, dance, painting, etc. Rabindranath Tagore emphasised a lot on the importance of holistic education and designing the education system from a child's point-of-view. Stimulating thinking and nurturing imagination as well as creativity are quite central to his thoughts on education. He implemented these ideas while establishing an educational institution in Shantiniketan. "Don't limit your child to your own learning, for he was born in another time"—his warning is still relevant.

The world is going through tremendous changes due to the advancement of technology. Artificial intelligence is having, and will continue to have, influence on all aspects of our society, including employment. Within the next few decades, many professions that exist now may disappear, while many new professions will emerge. What students are learning today may become irrelevant when they enter the job market. People may not be able to have a single profession throughout their lives.

In a good education system, there should be focus on developing critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, and communication, which will give students the skills to retrain every few years and adapt to changing contexts. Bangladesh must consider education as a priority and make the required investments, if our children and young people are to receive education that will prepare them for careers in a diverse range of fields. The aforementioned survey is an example that adolescents are more advanced in their thinking about the future of work. Adults should catch up.

Do parents want their children to be happy? If yes, they have to understand that there are many different routes to happiness. In his book "Happy Ever After," happiness expert Professor Paul Dolan draws on a variety of studies ranging over well-being, inequality, and discrimination, to bust the common myths about our sources of happiness. He shows that there can be many unexpected paths to lasting fulfilment. Some of these might involve not going into higher education, choosing not to marry, rewarding acts rooted in self-interest, and caring a little less about living forever.

Children are individual human beings, not parental property and should not be treated as such. It is the parents' responsibility to provide appropriate guidance to their children, so that they can realise their full potential. Instead of imposing their own views, parents should support their children while they navigate through their own lives and find meaning and contentment.

It is important that parents listen to children actively and value their dreams. The education system should adapt to the needs of the adolescents, too, in a world that is changing extremely fast. Adolescents are speaking up. Are we listening?

Laila Khondkar is an international development worker.