Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said that her government made the country’s education system multi-dimensional and creative prioritising science and technology to maintain global standards in the ever-changing world.

‘We have made arrangements for a multifaceted education system as employment can be generated both at home and abroad,’ she said.

The prime minister said this while inaugurating stipend and tuition fee distribution among insolvent meritorious students from secondary to graduate (pass) and its equivalent level under the Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust at a programme at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.

She said that her government so far established 23 public universities and 54 private universities across the country since 2009.

Sensing the global demand, she said that they built multi-dimensional universities that include agriculture, veterinary, animal science, science and technology, medical, digital Islamic, Arabic, textile, maritime, aviation, aerospace, fashion and technology.

The prime minister said that her government had given topmost priority on science, technology and research-based education.

‘Any country can’t keep pace with the ever-changing world without knowledge of science, research and technology. So, we have taken measures aimed at competing with the world,’ she said.

She added her government first allocated money for research in the budget after 1975.

Her government has allocated Tk 100 crore in the budget for boosting up research and spreading science and technology education, she continued.

The prime minister said that they formed Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust to help meritorious insolvent students flourish their talents aimed at using their merit for the betterment of the country and mankind.

To this end, she recalled the remark of Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that the education life of any student can’t be hampered by poverty.

A total of Tk 2,208 crore would be dispensed among more than 6,470,000 (64.70 lakh) students from the secondary, higher secondary, graduation and equivalent levels.

After opening the money disbursement, the prime minister said that the money for the stipends and tuition fees would go directly to the beneficiaries through a digital system.

‘I am very happy to disburse the money of stipends and tuition fees among the meritorious students through the digital platform,’ she said.

Sheikh Hasina also conferred the Bangabandhu Creative Talent Search award-2024 on 15 students and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Scholar Award, 2023 on 21 students.

The Bangabandhu Creative Talent Search awardee 15 students received a certificate and Tk 2 lakh each while the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Scholar awardee 21 students each received a certificate and Tk 3 lakh.

Education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, PM’s education and cultural affairs adviser Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, state minister for education Shamsun Naher and education secretary Suleman Khan, spoke at the function.

Nusrat Jahan Maliha, a class-VIII student of Hazaribagh Girls’ School and College, Atifa Rahman, a class-X student of Amena-Baki Residential Model School and College in Dinajpur and Pinak Mugdha Das, a Class-XI student of Government Majid Memorial City College in Khulna on behalf of the awardees under Bangabandhu Creative Talent Search-2024, and two students of Dhaka University Zarin Tasneem Raisa and Al Foysal Bin Kashem Kanon on behalf of the awardees under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Scholar Award-2023, also shared their feelings at the function.

Sheikh Hasina said that her government was mulling distributing all the scholarships and stipends under PMEAT after giving it a permanent shape.

Various ministries are now providing financial assistance under the different projects, she said, adding but once the project tenure is completed, the assistance programme is hampered.

If the financial assistances can be bestowed through the trust, none can stop the programme, she continued.

The prime minister said that her government established the trust by providing Tk 1,000 crore as seed money.

She also pledged to give Tk 2 crore to the trust from the Bangabandhu Memorial Trust.

‘We have to find out the diamonds (meritorious students) from across the country and use their talents for the country’s development,’ she said.

Sheikh Hasina said that she had no tension as there were a lot of meritorious students who would take the country towards smart Bangladesh by exploiting their talents.

‘I have no tension with Bangladesh as the little kids will take the country ahead and lead the country in the future after making it a smart Bangladesh,’ she said.

She also said that her government was updating the old-fashioned curriculum, introducing a grading system as a result, and bringing other required changes to match with the global standard alongside trying to develop a system so the student can pursue their lesson with joy.

‘There should be an education system so that students can pursue study with interest, they won’t need to be asked repeatedly to study rather they would do it on their own and they will have such desire. We want to develop this system,’ she said.

The prime minister said that they had given topmost priority to education for which they kept the highest allocation of Tk 94,710 crore in the social sector for the development of education in the national budget for 2024-25 financial year.

She said that the allocation was Tk 88,162 crore in the revised budget of FY 2023-24.

‘The increased allocation for education in the budget will positively impact the society,’ she added.