Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu on Saturday said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is giving the highest importance and priority to the country's education system, especially engineering and technical education.
In continuation of that, a new academic building is being constructed to make the academic activities of the Polytechnic Institute more dynamic and modern, so that future engineers from this institution can play a stronger role in serving the country and the world, he said while speaking as the chief guest at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the new academic building of Rajshahi Government Polytechnic Institute and the inauguration ceremony of the office of the Alumni Association.
As part of the government's development plan, large hostels for students will be constructed and modernized in phases at this educational institution, the minister said. He also mentioned that two electric buses will be gifted to the institution on behalf of the Prime Minister for the convenience of students' commute.
Expressing the government's commitment to environmental protection, he said that in cooperation with Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) and Rajshahi Development Authority (RDA), the campus should be greened by planting neem trees and fruit-bearing trees extensively on the institution premises.
The Prime Minister's goal is to plant a total of 25 crore trees in the next 5 years, at 5 crore per year. Reiterating the Prime Minister's special message to the students, the Land Minister said that in order to maintain the continuity of development, the student community must follow specific priorities.
In this case, the first priority will be education, followed by social status, sports and culture and finally politics. At this time, he gave special instructions to the engineers to maintain the quality of the construction work of the building under construction.
The event was attended by RCC Administrator Mahfuzur Rahman Riton, RDA Chairman Abul Kalam Azad Sweet, the Principal of Rajshahi Government Polytechnic Institute along with teachers and students, and political leaders.
At the beginning, Mizanur Rahman Minu, the RCC Administrator and the RDA Chairman each planted a neem sapling on the premises of Rajshahi Government Polytechnic Institute.
It is to be noted that the construction cost of the one-storey academic building with a six-storey foundation of Rajshahi Government Polytechnic Institute has been estimated at Tk 2.7 crore.
Earlier, the land minister inaugurated the construction of one-storey academic buildings with six-storey foundation at Rajshahi River View Collectorate School and Rajshahi Loknath High School.
The construction cost of Rajshahi River View Collectorate School has been estimated at Tk 1.58 crore and the construction cost of the academic building of Rajshahi Loknath High School has been estimated at Tk 2.08 crore.