DHAKA, Dec 23, 2018 (BSS) – The dropout of differently-abled people from
work is almost zero now as they are very much accustomed to perform their
duties. But despite having certain limitations, they do not get jobs.
Many think that though these large portions of the society have obtained
the highest degree from the universities and other qualifications, they are
lagging behind in the field of employment due to the outlook of employers.
To make employment easy for the persons with disabilities, job fairs are
being arranged for them in the country in the last three years. The private
organisations are undertaking various projects to increase employment for the
disabled.
Though 10 percent of total population are somehow disabled, the job
opportunity for most of them could not be created due to the employers’ lack
of confidence in them.
It is mandatory for the government offices to give work scope to the
five percent disabled people. Currently 14 ministries are working with the
disabled and autistic children.
Of them, eight ministries, particularly the Ministry of Education and the
Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, are very much active in this regard.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) Technical Advisor Kishore Kumar
Singha said they have to face some challenges while working with the disabled
people for their training and employment.
In this case, he said, coordination is needed between the government
policies and work of the non-government organisations at macro level.
Mentioning that the work is being hampered due to lack of coordination,
the ILO official said the government offices should abide by the law of the
state of giving work scope to five percent disabled people.
Meanwhile, the people concerned said the dropout of the disabled persons
from the work is almost zero as they are very much disciplined in performing
their responsibility.
Head of BRAC Training Programme Ahmed Tanveer Anam said 2,453 disabled
people have so far received training from them since 2012 and 867 persons
were added to the programme in 2017.
Of them, he said, the job of 99 percent has been ensured.
The disabled-friendly civil society has put emphasis on finding out a
way of utilizing the disabled people’s success of the non-institutional
sector in the institutional sector.
Job fairs are often arranged in the country to provide employment to the
persons with disabilities.
The Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized such a fair on August
18 for creating employment for the disabled as well as keeping in mind social
responsibility and economic development.
Different food producing and marketing companies, residential hotels,
restaurants, hospitals, educational institutions and industrial organisations
took part in this job fair.
Nearly 400 disabled people applied for the job to this organisations and
over 50 of them were given appointment.
Earlier at the end of last year, Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under
the Information and Communication Technology Division of the government
arranged a job fair, the third of its kind, for the disabled.
From this fair, many reputed organisations found out the candidates as
per their choice. In the fair, the entrepreneurs had announced that the job
of 3500 disabled people will be ensured in the next three years through
training.
Mozammel Haque, who became frustrated due to his disability, received the
appointment letter from a job fair for the disabled. He is now an official of
ESKE Clothing, a readymade garment factory in Ashulia. Unemployment of such
one hundred disabled was over through the job fair.
While inaugurating the fair, Chairperson of the National Advisory
Committee on Autism Saima Wazed Hossain said the disabled will have to be
given priority to establish an inclusive society.
“For this, we will have to know from them that where they are facing
difficulties and we’ve to work accordingly,” she said.
Saima further said: “We who are healthy and normal only try to feel their
problems. But we’ve to know real problems from them and then their problems
will be solved.”
Putting emphasis on maintaining changing of the outlook of the people
towards the disabled, she said it is possible to remove all barriers of the
persons with disabilities through technology.
Principal Coordinator on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) at the Prime
Minister’s Office Md Abul Kalam Azad said implementation of the SDG will not
be possible leaving out the disabled, who are 10 percent of the country’s
total population.
Training Coordinator of Centre for Rehabilitation of Paralysed (CRP) Ramesh
Chandra Haldar said they have signed agreements with some branded companies
in the readymade garment sector for recruiting the disabled people.
Accordingly, 2000 disabled people got appointment in different RMG
factories in the last 11 years.
Disabled Md Shahjahan said: “We don’t want job in quota, we want job as
per our qualification because employment is my rights.”
Executive Director of CRP Shafiqul Islam underscored the need for
working together between the government and non-government organisations for
the welfare of the disabled.
Besides, he said, a network will have to be developed among the
organisations working with the persons with disabilities.