About three out of four youths in the world aged 15-24 lack required skill-sets for employment, according to a latest report published Thursday.
It placed Bangladesh at the lower level of youth's attainment of secondary-level, transferable, digital, job-specific, and entrepreneurial skills.
The report titled "Recovering Learning: Are Children and Youth on Track in Skills Development?" was jointly published by the Education Commission and UNICEF ahead of the World Youth Skills Day-2022 to be observed today (Friday).
The report features analyses on skills development in early childhood, and among children of primary school age and youth using data from 92 countries, including Bangladesh.
It was prepared based on five types of skills-foundational, transferable, digital, job-specific, and entrepreneurial.
The data highlight low levels of skills among children and young people across all age groups, with young people in low-income countries the least likely to have the skills required to thrive, particularly in future employment opportunities, decent work, and entrepreneurship.
"An inspired, skilled generation of children and young people is critical for prosperity, progression, and the success of societies and economies," said UNICEF Director of Education Robert Jenkins.
"Yet, the majority of children and young people across the world have been failed by their education systems, leaving them uneducated, uninspired, and unskilled - the perfect storm for an unproductive situation," he said.
Besides, Education Commission Executive Director Liesbet Steer said, "To give young people the best chance to succeed and recover learning losses due to the pandemic, we need to support them holistically."
"But we can't recover what we don't measure. We need to know where children and youth are in building the range of skills they need and monitor their progress," she said.
The study observed that at approximately 10 years old, the majority of children in low and middle-income countries are unable to read and understand a simple text.
These foundational skills are the building blocks for further learning and skills development, it said.
In addition to foundational skills such as basic literacy and numeracy, young people will need transferable skills known as 'life skills' or 'socio-emotional skills', and digital skills.
If the basic skills are in place, it will allow youths to use and understand technology and acquire job-specific skills which as a result will support their transition into the workforce and help developing entrepreneurial skills.
Half of low-income countries and about a third of lower-middle income countries (that includes Bangladesh) are at the marginal level, with at least 85 per cent of their youth off-track in secondary level skills attainment, the report said.
It also noted that prolonged school closures due to COVID-19 have deprived children and youth of opportunities to develop the skills they need for success in school, work and life.
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