Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday called for more efforts so that poor and meritorious students have greater access to the government sponsored opportunities for vocational and higher education.
She said guardians are now aware of providing proper education to their children, but many of them cannot afford it for lack of financial source. “So, the government would continue its efforts for providing them with all support for education.”
The prime minister was addressing a meeting of the Advisory Council of Prime Minister’s Assistance Trust Fund in Dhaka.
PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
Hasina said the government has attached highest importance to education as it is the prime tool for making the country poverty-free. “The government wants to ensure excess to education of every people.
She said the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had nationalised education amidst a challenging job of reconstructing the war-ravaged economy.
The country’s overall literacy rate increased by 20% when the Awami League came to power in 1996 as the party worked in line with Bangabandhu’s vision, she
pointed out.
Hasina said the government introduced scholarship from primary to higher level to encourage people in education, particularly female, apart from giving due importance to technical and vocational education.
The prime minister said most of the development projects including those of the education sector became stagnant when Awami League was out of power.
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, Planning Minister AHM Mostafa Kamal, Minister for Primary and Mass Education Mostafizur Rahman, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad, members of the council and senior secretaries and secretaries were present.