Groom students as good citizens

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged teachers to pay special attention to their students so that they become good human beings and stay away from drug addiction and terrorist acts.

The prime minister said this while inaugurating the National Primary Education Week 2016 at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.

Sheikh Hasina renewed her hope that Bangladesh will be freed from illiteracy soon, and attain hundred percent literacy rate.

"The country's literacy rate is now 71 percent due to the various steps of our government. Insha Allah, Bangladesh will soon be freed from illiteracy," she said.

The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education organised the programme with its Minister Mostafizur Rahman in the chair.

The prime minister handed over the National Primary Education Medal-2015 to 19 selected recipients as well as distributed awards of the Inter-Primary School Cultural Competition-2015 in seven categories and Inter-Primary Sports Competition-2015 in seven categories among the recipients.

Hasina called upon the teachers to take good care of all students so that they could become good human beings and citizens imbued with the spirit of the Liberation War and patriotism, and could know the real war history and move ahead with ideals on the right paths.

"We don't want the children and students to get derailed and go to the wrong path like getting addicted to drug or militant act," she added.

She called upon all, including school committees, guardians and the well off section of society, to form funds and donate those to run midday meals or tiffin at schools in their respective areas.

Hasina said the Awami League government had distributed some 193 crore free textbooks up to secondary level over the last seven years while some 10,87,19,997 books at primary level this year.

Computer education will be made mandatory in the future at primary level, she added.