| Inspire Speaker Series Session 3: Public Service |

It was exciting to moderate the “Inspire Speaker Series Session 3” and the theme of the webinar was “Public Service”. The webinar took place on Monday 28th August 2023.

The Inspire Speaker Series constitutes a sequence of webinars designed to instill inspiration and support for our Teach For Bangladesh Year 2 Fellows and Alumni, focusing on designated Alumni Pathways. The overarching objective of this Inspire Speaker Series is to motivate TFB Fellows and Alumni to gain a comprehensive understanding of the education landscape in Bangladesh and globally. Furthermore, the series aims to provide them with optimal recommendations to magnify their influence on the broader social and educational spheres.

On the occasion, we were extremely fortunate to have Ms. Shamima Akter Jahan and Mayank Lodha as keynote speakers. Shamima Akter Jahan widely known as Popy Apa is currently serving as an Senior Asst. Commissioner & Executive Magistrate, Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Natore. She studied Physics from University of Dhaka and she was a famous debater who served as a President of Dhaka University Debating Club.?

Mr. Mayank Lodha, currently serving as a Lead Governance for Government of Punjab, India. He is also a Teach For India Alumni who studied engineering and completed his Bachelors from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology and later did his MBA from University of Delhi. Mr. Mayank currently anchors citizen centric governance reforms, working with political and bureaucratic leadership in a north-western state of India.?

In this conversation, Mr. Mayank shared his personal journey, highlighting how the Teach For India Fellowship and a government fellowship program (Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellow) shaped his perspective on working in the government, even though he initially did not aspire to be a government employee. He emphasized his current role in the Department of Administrative Reform, where he runs a fellowship program that provides the government access to young talents for the public sector. Mr. Mayank also discussed the importance of creating partnerships and institutional collaborations, both for-profit and nonprofit, to improve government functioning.?

Ms. Popy, in her reflective recounting, mentioned that she pursued a degree in Physics during her university years. A typical trajectory for many physics students who often choose to study abroad and establish themselves in foreign countries. She herself had originally set out on a similar path while she was deeply engrossed in her thesis on nuclear power plants. Eventually, She became a Teach For Bangladesh Fellow in 2016 Cohort but had to leave the fellowship in its second year to pursue the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS). Her father's inspiration led her to choose a different path in public service.

In her role in public service starting in 2017, she was responsible for monitoring multimedia classrooms using a platform called "Mukto Path". This platform provided valuable resources for teachers and students. She was stationed in Bhola and observed the dedicated work of teachers who made a significant impact on their students' education.

Ms. Popy also shared her involvement in serving the Cox's Bazar area, particularly working closely with Rohingya camps. In this context, she had the responsibility of investigating and implementing the Bangla and Myanmar curriculum. The policy was to teach the Myanmar curriculum to Rohingya children to preserve the language and culture of the Rohingya people. She highlighted how being in public service allowed her to contribute to the education sector in a multifaceted manner, including working on curriculum preservation and teacher selection for Burmese language instruction.

In their discussion, both Mr. Mayank and Ms. Popy provided insights into the potential for making a positive impact on the education sector while working in public service. Mr. Mayank emphasized that the government fellowship program he is involved in primarily focuses on Education and Public Health. He highlighted the importance of considering both internal and external factors when addressing education challenges. He discussed the need for strategic thinking, including streamlining data collection processes and creating effective systems. Mr. Mayank also stressed the importance of engaging stakeholders, such as ministers and secretaries, and fostering a sense of ownership among all parties. He advocated for innovation and the piloting of ideas based on specific needs, aiming for a demand-based model that can be scaled up in the state. His focus centered on decentralizing decision-making and promoting innovative solutions.

Ms. Popy shared suggestions for fellows and alumni considering the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) as a means to impact education in the long run. She mentioned the various BCS cadres, including technical ones. She recommended the Admin Cadre for those interested in policy-making related to education and the Education Cadre for those wishing to influence teaching and learning in tertiary education. Ms. Popy also highlighted the multidimensional opportunities available within BCS cadres. For instance, individuals in the Admin Cadre can work in places like Rohingya Camps or serve as Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNO) at the Upazila level, monitoring educational institutions. Those in the role of Deputy Commissioner (DC) can oversee all educational institutions in a district. Additionally, she mentioned the potential to impact education through foreign service as diplomats, as they have the opportunity to contribute to education policies while working on foreign affairs. In conclusion, both Mr. Mayank and Ms. Popy emphasized that there are various avenues within different BCS cadres and public service roles to positively influence the education sector, including policy-making, teaching, community engagement, and foreign service. They encouraged individuals to explore these opportunities to make a difference in education in diverse ways.

Mr. Mayank and Ms. Popy discussed the challenges and opportunities in public service as well. Mayank highlighted three ways to make an impact in public service: 1. Through political leadership, education is a significant political agenda. 2. By being part of administrative or bureaucratic roles. 3. By working with for-profit or nonprofit organizations that assist the government. He acknowledged that working with the government can be slow due to bureaucracy but noted that government's inertia can be harnessed to initiate lasting changes. Challenges include competing priorities and navigating a complex web of decision-makers and stakeholders.

?“Working with the government comes with some sort of a slowness, but the beautiful part about?this entire process is, government as a big system has a lot of inertia and if you are able to use that inertia to set anything in motion, it will continue because of the same inertia which is the challenge in the first part.” ~ Mayank Lodha

Ms. Popy echoed these challenges, noting that bureaucratic hurdles are similar in both India and Bangladesh. She emphasized the importance of changing mindsets and highlighted the diverse social, cultural, and religious challenges in Bangladesh. However, she saw these challenges as opportunities for personal growth and for effecting positive change within Bangladesh.

"Government service presents challenges that serve as opportunities for personal growth and driving positive change within Bangladesh. We just need to change our mindset" ~ Shamima Akter Jahan Popy?

Throughout the webinar, participants had the opportunity of engaging with the speaker, asking live questions, and partaking in reflections on their key takeaways. We believe the session undoubtedly provided attendees with a wealth of valuable insights. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Mayank Lodha and Ms. Shamima Akter Jahan Popy? for their invaluable contributions. We would also like to thank our Year 2 Fellows from Cohort 2022 and Alumni who joined the session.?

PS: I would like to acknowledge Mr. Wahidul Islam (TFB Alumni 2021) for his unwavering support and for orchestrating a breakout room activity during the session.