Government plans to extend level of primary education up to Class VIII: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said this while inaugurating Primary Education Week-2014 at Osmani Memorial Hall.

She said, computer education will also be compulsory at primary level along with taking all steps to fulfill her party's election pledge to achieve hundred percent literacy rate.

Saying that her government is completely aware about the demands of the primary teachers, the Prime Minister said, the government would continue efforts for professional, social and economic condition of primary school teachers.

Minister for Primary and Mass Education Mostafizur Rahman presided over the function organized by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. Secretary of the ministry Aktar Hossain, and Director General of the Department of Primary Education Shyamal Kanti Ghosh also spoke on the occasion.

The Prime Minister distributed medals among government officials, teachers, local elected representatives and schools for their outstanding contribution for promotion of primary education at national, divisional, district and upazila levels.

She also distributed medal and certificates among 250 students scored first, second and third positions in different events sports and cultural competitions at national level.

The Prime Minister said, her government is striving for building a developed country for which an educated working force is very crucial. In view of this, she said, the government is providing all out support to the students of primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

"Whenever we come to power, we attach highest importance to education sector, following the footprint of Bangabandhu, who founded the base of primary education after independence making the primary education completely nationalized," Sheikh Hasina said.

After Bangabandhu, we are the only government which nationalized 26,193 private primary schools, bringing 1,03,845 teachers under government payroll, she said.

Around 79 lakh primary school students, 40 lakh secondary level students and 1.33 lakh students reading at higher secondary and degree level are getting government scholarships to pursue their studies, she added.

She said, her government during 1996-2001 period had taken a number of formal and informal education programmes to increase the literacy rate. "But, next BNP-Jamaat alliance government suspended those programmes, resulted in pushing the country backward in education," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said, her government has improved the situation and formulated a productive, science and knowledge- based education policy befitting to present time.

Uniformed education policy has been adopted and quality of education has been improved as primary education terminal examination and junior school examination were introduced with same question paper across the country.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, "It's a major success of her government to achieve hundred percent enrollment of children at primary level." She added that in spite of anarchic situation caused by BNP-Jamaat's unruly politics, the government successfully reached the free textbooks to every student on the very first day of this academic year.

Pointing out the introduction of mid-day meal in some schools, she said, gradually the system would be introduced in every school. In this regard, she urged the benevolent people to extend their support to the mid-day meal programme in the schools of their areas.

She said, the government has established an education assistance fund to provide support to the students of higher education. "The whole education system of the country would have made free if the government had enough resources," she said.

The Prime Minister criticized BNP-Jamaat for making the students hostage in the name of political movement, saying, the students, because of their unruly politics, could not attend school months after months.

"Many school students were injured critically in their bomb attacks. They burnt as many as 582 schools in their attempt to foil the general elections, which is unprecedented in the country's history, " she said urging people to come forward to resist such destructive attempt on education sector in future.

Sheikh Hasina said, her government has established new schools in those areas where there was no schools, increased the number of stipends, constructed new teachers' training institute, renovated old school buildings and increased the number of classrooms in the existing schools.

She said a total of 99,181 teachers and employees were recruited for primary education sector while the status of the primary head teachers has been elevated to second-class from third class.

Aimed at making a digital Bangladesh, she said, all books of primary and secondary levels were converted to e-book, creating opportunity for students to read online. Multimedia class room and ICT lab were established in the schools along with giving necessary training to the teachers.

Result of the examinations are being published in websites while steps were taken for delivering results of the exams through SMS and e-mail, she said.

Mentioning her commitment to ensure standard education for every children, the Prime Minister said, her government would do everything what is necessary to achieve the goal.

"Children are our invaluable assets and our future. We are pledged bound to build up their bright future," the Prime Minister said.