Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Saturday that it is her duty to unchain people from deprivation and a plan is underway to provide urban facilities to villagers.
“Many years have been wasted; we have lost time from 1975-96 and no development was seen in those 21 years. Only a handful of people managed to make their fortunes while the rest were deprived,” she said.
The prime minister said this at Ganobhaban, addressing the inaugural session of the three-day 22nd National Council of the Institution of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB) themed :'Global Competitive TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) for Challenges of IR (Industrial Revolution) 4.0'.
She said her politics is for the people of Bangladesh and she uses every second of her life for the country's development. "I'm not here to make my own fortune; I'm here to build the fortune of the common people. Thus, the country is making progress."
Sheikh Hasina said the government wants to develop villages and provide urban facilities to rural people so they can lead a decent life and reduce the pressure of people flocking to the capital city.
She said: "We are taking steps to build up villages like townships and ensure all sorts of jobs in rural areas."
The Prime Minister said the government has developed plans to construct multi-stored buildings at the upazila and union levels. The government has also been giving special attention to rural areas, helping people build homes.
Briefly listing the programmes taken up by her government to improve vocational education, Hasina said the government always gives importance to vocational and science and technology-based education, reports UNB.
Hasina said it is the duty of diploma engineers to implement development programmes and maintain their quality at the field level: "You have to build the country so future generations can have a beautiful life. I'm urging you all to devote yourselves to that purpose."
The Prime Minister said the government has taken up a programme to establish one technical school and college in every upazila. She also saidthe Education Ministry is working to set up 23 new polytechnic institutes in the country.
Chaired by Central Executive Committee President of IDEB, AKMA Hamid, the event was also addressed by its General Secretary, Shamshur Rahman.
A robot named TVET, made by diploma engineers, welcomed the Prime Minister on the stage.