Seen Comprehension - 25 Alim

The rights of the old must not be neglected

 In Bangladesh the retirement age for government employees is 57 years and for university teachers 65 years. In the United Nations the retirement age is 65 years. But this does not mean that after this age people suddenly become useless and unfit to work. These people are an asset to society with knowledge that only experience, can bring and needs to feel useful and want, in society. In the developed countries social security is provided by the government in the form of post- retirement and old age benefits, so that these people get free medical facilities and can also be economically dependent. In Bangladesh, government employees are granted a pension and there are a few facilities at the government hospitals for the old but these are hardly enough. Besides the majority of our female population do not belong to the working class. They are housewives and are not eligible, for any pension or gratuity. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, about 6% of the population of Bangladesh are aged people which came to about 13.3 million people in 2000. This includes male and female elderly people both from the villages and towns. These people have served, their nation and their families through the years. In their old age, It is their right to expect service from us in return. Their physical health has started deteriorating and they need as much care and consideration as possible. The government still does, not have any system to meet the health and economic, needs of the large population. We ourselves however must ensure that the elderly among as are respected and cared for. After all, can we forget that we ourselves are going to grow old one day?