PM Hasina: Our children will not lag behind

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday reiterated her vow to build the children with the knowledge of modern technology so they never lag behind.

"The world is marching ahead in the age of technology. Our children will not lag behind. We will build them with the knowledge of modern technology," she said.

The premier was distributing awards among 304 children for winning the national essay and drawing competitions marking the 99th, 100th, 101st, 102nd, 103rd and 104th birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum organized the function at the prime minister's official residence Ganabhaban in the afternoon.

The prime minister said her government is now transforming country into a Smart Bangladesh by 2041 as they had already made the country digital in accordance with the electoral pledge of 2008.

For that reason, she said her government is building computer labs at every school across the country alongside setting up computer training and Incubation centres.

The training centres are providing special training on computer and digital technology aimed at spreading education on technology, she added.

Describing the children and youths as the future leader of the Smart Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said: "You will take Bangladesh towards transforming into a smart country."

The prime minister said her government attached topmost priority on education since they assumed power in 1996 and took various measures for the overall development of education.

She said they have enacted laws and rules to protect the children and create scopes for their education.

"We're giving text books free of cost from pre-primary to secondary school level alongside giving scholarship and stipends. We are also providing scholarship for higher education," she added.

The literacy rate has increased to 76.8% due to her government initiatives while it was only 45% in 2006, she said.

The prime minister said they are setting up universities at district level.

She went on saying there was no medical university in Bangladesh earlier, adding that her government had built medical university.

"We have set up digital university, agriculture university, design and fashion university, aerospace and aviation university and science and technology university to diversify the education system," she said.

She continued that they have created scope to provide diversified education to the children of the country.

The prime minister said they have set up Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust for giving scholarship to the poor meritorious students and help the distressed people.

She continued that she and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana had made museum the house of Bangabandhu from where the Liberation War was leaded.

President of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum and noted painter Hashem Khan presided over the function while Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury was present.

Curator of the Memorial Museum Md Nazrul Islam Khan, also spoke, among others.