Govt stresses multi-dimensional education to create skilled manpower: PM Hasina

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said her government has been working to make education multi-dimensional attaching priority to science and technology to create skilled manpower.

“We are making education multi-lateral with setting up universities considering the demand of the modern era as the students can keep pace with the world,” she said.

The prime minister said they are establishing universities on science and technology, agriculture, textile, fashion design, marine, civil aviation and aerospace and medical as part of the government move to make education multifaceted.

She was inaugurating a programme to distribute stipend, and amount of tuition fee, admission fee and treatment aid to the poor and meritorious students under the PM’s Education Assistance Trust, joining virtually from her official Gonobhaban residence in the capital.

Bangladesh has now become a developing nation, she said, adding that to sustain the status, it needs to expand the education to generate skilled manpower and worthy citizens.

The prime minister said her government has also been establishing universities considering the demand of the particular localities.

To pursue the multi-dimensional education, she said that her government has been attaching topmost priority to science and technology to create skilled manpower.

She added: “I believe science and technology education is the most essential one as it creates employments at home and abroad.”

The prime minister said she has been taking various pragmatic measures mainly to create suitable manpower as they can make great contribution to economic development.

She went on saying that the local demand for skilled and technologically-abled manpower is on the rise as the government has been setting up 100 economic zones across the country which attracts local and foreign investments.

Education minister Dipu Moni, its deputy minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury and secretary of Secondary and Higher Education Division Md Mahbub Hossain spoke on the occasion at the Ministry of Education in Secretariat end.

Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah moderated the function from the Gonobhaban end.

Sheikh Hasina hoped that all the educational institutions will reopen on 30 March after a long shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Before reopening the school, colleges and universities, she said that all of those teachers and employees will surely be brought under vaccination.

The students of colleges and universities will be vaccinated following the protocol of the WHO (World Health Organisation), she added.

The prime minister said that her government has been pursuing “My education at my home” programme through the Sangsad Television to continue the education of the students.

Alongside the TV, classes are being held online taking the advantage of the Digital Bangladesh, she said.

After assuming office, Sheikh Hasina said that her government has taken measures to spread education massively as they consider the expenditure for education as investment.

Mentioning that Bangladesh has graduated to a developing country from the least developed one, the prime minister said it is necessary to keep it up till becoming a developed one and education is a must to comply with it.

Referring to a speech of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she said that no nation can develop without education.

The prime minister said her government has been working to turn the country into a Sonar Bangladesh free from hunger and poverty as envisioned by the Father of the Nation while education is a prerequisite to pursue it.

She, however, asked all concerned including guardians and teachers to make sure gender equality in education as in many cases it is seen that the ratio of female students are on rise.

Referring to the matter of decreasing male students in comparison to female ones in classes, she said, “Please pay attention to address the issue.”

The prime minister has also announced to distribute Taka 87,52,55,400 as stipend, tuition fee, medical aid for the poor and meritorious students under the PM’s Education Assistance Trust for the FY 2020-21.

Under the trust, 1,63,00,882 students will get Taka 87,43,77,400 as stipend and tuition fee while 123 students will get Taka 678,000 as admission fee and four students injured in road mishaps will receive Taka 200,000 as treatment aid, she added.