25 more polytechnic institutes including four for girls to be established: HPM Sheikh Hasina

Besides, she said, the government has taken initiatives for introducing vocational training course in all schools and colleges for expansion of vocational education.

The Prime Minister came up with the announcement while addressing the inaugural function of the 21st National Convention and 39th Council Session of the Institution of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB) at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre here on Thursday morning.

IDEB President Engineer AKMA Hamid chaired the inaugural function of convention, while IDEB General Secretary Engineer Md Shamsur Rahman delivered the welcome address.

Earlier, Sheikh Hasina opened the 21st National Convention and 39th Council Session of the IDEB by putting signature on an album of the institution.

She urged the all concerned including diploma engineers to undertake projects by considering their necessity and not to misuse any money in this regard.

"While undertaking schemes, you will have to keep in mind the necessity of the projects. Your consideration in this regard should not be only doing work for the work and making money from it ... there is no justification for wasting money," she said.

In this connection, the Premier said her government has increased the size of the budget five times and none could place such a big budget in the past.

"We want true development of the country and every penny of the people be utilised properly .... please see that money is not wasted unnecessarily," she said.

The Premier reminded all concerned that two and a half years tenure of the government remains and asked them to complete the ongoing development schemes at fast.

Sheikh Hasina said the diploma engineers implement 80/85 percent government development work.

"So successful execution of the projects depends on their efficiency, sincerity and honesty," she said.

Putting emphasis on making the development trend sustainable, the Prime Minister said rivers, canals and waterbodies will have to be saved along with protection of the farmland.

"A mechanism would have to be hammered out to face the adverse impact of climate change," she said.

"Let's come to take the trend of uplift ahead and build Bangladesh as a developed and prosperous country on the world stage by facing all challenges of the 21st century . . . let's come to establish hunger and poverty-free Sonar Bangla as dreamt by Bangabandhu."

Pointing out that two-third of the country's population are between the age from 15 to 64 years, Sheikh Hasina said her government has taken measures to turn them into skilled workforce as they are an asset of the country.

Spelling out various measures of her government for developing efficient and skilled manpower in the country, the Premier said SSC vocational course has been introduced for the first time at about 1800 private high schools.

Besides, 49 polytechnic institutes including three women polytechnic institutes under public sector and more than 400 such institutes under private sectors have been established in the country to develop medium class skilled engineers through a four-year term diploma engineering course, she said.

Steps have also been taken to impart training to develop skilled manpower through 37 technical training centres while arrangement has been made to provide proper training prior to sending manpower abroad, she added.

Citing the government's initiative to create more Diploma Engineers, the Prime Minister said, implementation of a project involving Taka 2900 crore has begun to enrol one lakh students in Diploma Engineering Course under the public polytechnic institutes by the year 2019.

About some professional problems of the diploma engineers, Sheikh Hasina said, two inter-ministerial committees submitted their reports to the government and the ministry concerned has been directed to implement the recommendations.

Besides, the Ministry of Finance will soon issue gazette notification for giving a special increment to Diploma Engineers as well as to those who are working as planning and designing at the very beginning of the services like other technical professionals.

The Prime Minister assured of formulating a time-befitting, welfare-oriented and coordinated organogram for all diploma engineers working in various organizations and power companies following the engineering team concept and hoped that it would be acceptable to all.

The Prime Minister also handed over IDEB Medals-2016 to three eminent engineers of the country for their outstanding contribution to respective areas.

The engineers selected for the IDEB Medals-2016 are Engineer Wahidunnabi (posthumously),Engineer Mohammad Abdul Gofran and Engineer Mohammad Mamunur Rashid.