Staff Reporter:
Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Saturday said universities should build young people to become successful entrepreneurs rather than mere job seekers.
“I keep on promoting the idea that all human beings are born to be entrepreneurs, not job seekers,” he said, stressing that doing a job is a wrong idea and a continuation of the tradition of slavery.
Yunus made the remarks while delivering a speech at the Peking University in the Chinese capital city.
Earlier, he was conferred upon an honorary doctorate by Peking University (PKU) in a ceremony held there.
Encouraging students to imagine big things always aiming to change the world, he said, “Job forces you to do things that your supervisors want you to do.”
Sharing his idea of creating a new civilisation for greater good, the chief adviser said this is an imagination. “But the imagination is where the journey begins. Let us begin the journey.”
Human beings are not born to be job seekers as they are creators, Yunus said, adding that an educational institution is not only a place to learn what happens, but imagine.
He said imagination is the greatest power. “If you imagine, it will happen. If you do not imagine, it will never happen.”
Asking the students to look back, he said things had happened because somebody imagined. “Imagination is more powerful than anything we can bring together.”
He encouraged them to imagine the oddest and most unhurt things although doing such things seemed to be impossible. “But, the human journey is about making the impossible possible. That is our job. And we can make it happen.”
Yunus said he feels PKU is his home as he was accepted as an honorary professor of the university. “I am part of you though I couldn’t spend much time with you.”
Describing PKU as a centre of knowledge, wisdom, innovation and excellence, the chief adviser said he feels honour receiving an honorary doctorate degree from such a prestigious university.
He said conferring the honour reminds him of his commitment to relalising the dream of millions of youth who were the vanguard of the transformational change in Bangladesh last year. Their vision was to build a new Bangladesh which would be free from poverty and hunger, he said.
Highlighting the reform agenda of his government, the chief adviser said it is working towards building a democratic and resilient Bangladesh, focusing on entrepreneurship where equal opportunities for all will flourish.
Mentioning that people are not poor by birth, Yunus said wrong economic systems, where all people are not given a fair chance, make them poor. People suffer due to many wrong ideas prevailing in society, he observed.
Focusing on the immense potential of women, the Nobel peace laureate said even the poorest woman in Bangladesh can be an entrepreneur taking a loan of $20. Women can be entrepreneurs all around the world, he added.
About the purpose of education, Yunus said, “What should be the purpose of education?…the purpose of education is to enable us to go out and bring all creative capacity to change the world.”
He stressed the need for carbon-free economic systems to protect the planet from destruction.
The chief adviser also focused on his “Three-Zero Theory” – zero carbon emission, zero poverty and zero unemployment.
He also highlighted his ‘social business’ theory saying it is such a business that solves social problems.
Asking the students not to contribute to carbon emissions, he said all should build themselves as ‘three-zero’ persons.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources; Road Transport and Bridges; and Railways Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, High Representative to Chief Adviser Khalilur Rahman, Principal Coordinator on SDGs Affairs and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed, and CA’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam were present.
At the invitation of the secretary-general of the Boao Forum for Asia, Yunus attended the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2025 in Hainan, China from 26 to 27 March, and then at the invitation of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the chief adviser is visiting Beijing from 27 to 29 March.
Chinese President Xi Jinping had a bilateral meeting with Chief Adviser Yunus on Friday.
Vice-Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Ding Xuexiang met Yunus on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2025 in Hainan.
Vice-President of the People’s Republic of China Han Zheng also met the chief adviser in Beijing.
In a warm and friendly atmosphere, the two sides had in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest and reached extensive consensus during the visit.
