Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said multipurpose education is a must for rapid progress of the country, when the members of Standing Committee of Bangladesh University Council came to visit at her office, tuesday
She emphasised the need for education, terming it as the main tool for poverty alleviation.
After the meeting, PM’s press secretary Abul Kalam Azad briefed reporters.
Hasina mentioned that her government was implementing various steps for further development of education as no nation could achieve its desired goals without education.
She said, “Awami League in its previous tenure from 1996 to 2001 had taken initiatives to set up 12 science and technology universities in the country.”
“But the BNP-Jamaat alliance government shelved the project out of political vengeance when it had assumed office in 2001,” she added.
After returning to power, Hasina said, the present government had launched 12 universities. She said her previous government for the first time allocated Tk 120m for research purposes. “After returning to power this time, the present government raised the allocation to conduct research in various sectors,” she said.
The prime minister said her government was providing “free textbooks up to secondary level and stipends to over 11.9m students”, and had introduced a locally managed midday meal in schools to keep in-check the dropout of students as well as to reduce the burden of their parents.
In order to help the poor and meritorious students continue their education, the government constituted the Prime Minister’s Education Trust Fund with Tk 1,000 as seed money.
She also mentioned that the present government was setting up multimedia classrooms and providing internet facilities to educational institutions across the country for improving the quality of education. The premier urged the teachers to maintain a congenial atmosphere on the campus. “It’s your responsibility to groom the students as future leaders of the nation. And the university is for all,” she said.
In response to some demands of the teachers, Sheikh Hasina suggested them to raise funds through alumni associations for the development of respective universities.
She asked them to take part in the development of the country through paying income tax regularly.
In this connection, she said all the ministers and lawmakers except the president are now paying income tax.
Hasina also highlighted her government’s “tremendous successes” in the fields of agriculture, economy, health, ICT and social safety net programmes.