PM calls for saving children from ignorance

Desk Report: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called for saving the children from 'ignorance', urging the guardians and teachers to work together to make them aware of this.

Referring to the attack on eminent teacher and writer Dr Muhammad Jafor Iqbal, the prime minister said, the nature of attack made it clear who are the attackers.

"We want to make the country free from terrorism, militancy and drug. The attackers are ignorant. They think that they would go to haven through killing a man. But they would never go to haven, they would go to hell, there is no doubt about it," she said.
"A man through killing an innocent person can never go to haven. Altogether we have to work to keep free our children from such ignorance. Everybody should do everything required for this," she added.

The prime minister said this while distributing Bangabandhu Fellowship, National Science and Technology (NST) Fellowship and special donation for research among post-graduate students studying at different institutions at home and abroad.

Ministry of Science and Technology arranged the function at Osmani Memorial Hall here today with Minister for Science and Technology Yeafesh Osman in the chair.

"We will not allow any kind of militancy and terrorism in Bangladesh and we are making concerted efforts to make people aware on the issue," the prime minister said.

"These menaces are destroying our talented children. We have to work so that they don't go to the disastrous path," she said.

Sheikh Hasina called upon the teachers of the educational institutions to keep watch on their students with whom they mix, play and gossip. Parents should also build a friendly relationship with their children to make stronger family bonds with them, she said.

"We have so many meritorious children. We don't want them to be spoiled," she added.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Science and Technology Dr. AFM Ruhal Huq was present as special guest while secretary of the ministry Md. Anwar Hossain gave the welcome address.

A total of 116 students received the Bangabandhu Fellowship this year while 2358 students awarded the NST fellowship. A total of 141 research projects were given special donation.

Four recipients of Bangabandhu Fellowship, 16 recipients of NST Fellowship and special research donation received cheques from the prime minister.



The prime minister said Bangladesh needs to make its manpower human resources to carry forward the country's development in every sphere. So, the government has attached utmost importance to science and technological research.

Quoting Bangabandhu, she said, there is no best investment than spending on education sector to build a society. After independence Bangabandhu had taken steps to give his thoughts into a real shape. But his dream was destroyed with his death in 1975, she said.

Bangladesh needs huge efficient manpower for Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, tapping sea resources and dealing with the matters of operation of the Bangabandhu Satellite which would be launched very soon, she said.

Sheikh Hasina said after taking office in 1996 her government had made strides to build a prosperous Bangladesh as dreamt by the Father of the Nation with its limited resources.

"But it was a hard task as the post-1975 rulers had taken the country to a stage when Bangladesh became completely dependent on foreign help for food, clothes, education and other basic needs.

During the Awami League government's 1996-2001 tenure, she said, overall literacy rate shot up to 65.5 percent from 45 percent in 1995.

For this success, she said, Bangladesh received a UNESCO award, and with the amount of the prize the Awami League government had introduced a scholarship for students of higher studies.

But, the next BNP government suspended the scholarship forcing many students to come back home before completing their course abroad, she lamented.

Laying importance on intensive research in the areas of agriculture and science, the prime minister said her government first ever made any allocation for research with Taka 12 crore.

This year the government allocated more that Taka 100 crore for this purpose, she said.

The prime minister said her government has established the Institute of Bio-technology side by side strengthening the Bangladesh Atomic Commission, agricultural research institute aimed at conducting research for new invention.

"Our agricultural self-reliance is the result of our research," she said adding that the progress would have been impossible without research.

The prime minister said her government has established enhancement of research facilities of national institute of biotechnology which is playing an immense role in research.

The government has taken projects to establish various research institutes for development of cattle head, textiles, environment friendly fertilizer, gene bank, genome research center and many diagnosis centers, she said.

"We want to make Bangladesh a developed nation by 2041 and the institutes are working with this goal," she said.

BSS


risingbd/Dhaka/March 4, 2018/Nasim