Innovation Tale: Bangladesh

Ashfaq is having panic attacks, tomorrow is his final submission of the science project. He has done everything perfectly but yet he could feel the butterflies, his father approaches him slowly and says you have to win the science fair and how during the childhood days of this father he used to win this sort of competitions. To Ashfaq winning this science fair like no less than winning a noble in physics or chemistry but he is in fifth grade only. He is so bogged down with the pressure of expectations and also with the fear of his fathers' word.

According to his parent failure is not an option; be it study, life or competition you have to ace it but his teacher says to experiment, fail, try and only then he will be able get the true essence of creation. Only then he will get to know what it feels like to succeed.

Ashfaq is in dire dillemma what to do? will he win tomorrow? even if he wins will he learn anything? as a great deal of the project work is done by his father. What if he it was better to fail ? What if it is better to learn than winning? A lot questions hover around him as he feels asleep.

Ashfaq has won the competition, he is the 2019 science fair winner, all of the judges has praised his project but deep down only Ashfaq knows he has lost. Innovation has lost, and the ego of a father has won.

How do we create an innovation culture for these Ashfaqs, how do we convince these parents that failure is not an option but necessary for the future of their kids. How do we say it to them out loud that Bangladesh needs to allow them to fail during their school days so that they can be successful innovators in their prime days.

#FailtoInnovate