Aga Khan Foundation hosts discussion on public service

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) has organised a panel discussion titled, “Public Service: Its Joys and Challenges,” at the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre in Bashundhara.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 30 June 2019, 10:56 PM
Updated : 30 June 2019, 10:56 PM

The seminar brought together representatives from government, civil society, academia and the private sector to discuss the importance of public service on the life and development of the nation, and the challenges and opportunities of that role.

Chairperson of the Aga Khan Foundation (Bangladesh)’s National Committee Dilshad Dossani said: “The Aga Khan Foundation has an interest in the notion of public service as defined in its broadest sense of ‘a service rendered in the public interest for the benefit of others’.”

“This definition is not limited to those who work in government services, but encompasses all individuals, civil society and organisations that work for the benefit of the people of Bangladesh,” Dossani said.

Prime Minister’s International Affairs Advisor Gowher Rizvi, former finance minister M. Syeduzzaman and former advisor to a caretaker government Hossain Zillur Rahman comprised the panel.

Rizvi said while “the phrase ‘public servant’ or ‘bureaucrat’ often has negative connotations associated with it, it is important to recognise that ‘public servants have solved some of the most fundamental problems in our lives’.”

The panelists agreed that the “quality of institutions that groom public servants, including the education system as a whole, play a critical role and can bring in all the available wisdom within society to help public servants understand their role and motivate them to serve for the betterment of their societies,” said the Foundation.