Prime minister firm to ensure women's empowerment
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed her firm conviction to take necessary steps in ensuring overall environment conducive to women's empowerment and advancement through providing them proper education.
"Lack of education and access to knowledge is the greatest detriment for progress," she said while addressing a symposium titled "Imaging another Future for Asia: Ideas and Pathways for Change.”
Asian University for Women (AUW) has organised the three-day symposium at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
The premier said there is no alternative to education for all to expedite the forward march of a nation. By educating women, she said, the society can overcome any discrimination against them and lay the groundwork for their further progress.
Bangladesh always rejects the yoke of inequality between men and women as it believes that an unequal society can never yield full liberty, Hasina said.
"Education is both evidence of success in fighting discrimination as well as an instrument for fighting it," she added.
Referring to her government's steps in empowering womenfolk, she mentioned that for the first time in the history Bangladesh has so many women ministers in the cabinet.
Apart from 45 women in the reserved seats in parliament, she said 19 women have directly been elected as members of parliament and 30 percent women representation at all tiers of local government bodies from union council to city corporation has been ensured.
The prime minister expressed the hope that the Asian University for Women will play an important role in the transformation of not only Bangladesh but also the whole region.
She assured the gathering that her government will extend all necessary support to make the Asian University for women "our pride in the best possible way.”
"We will not leave any stone unturned for development of the university in the days to come," she added.
She expressed the hope that students of this university receiving proper education will eradicate the darkness of ignorance that has been hindering the forward march of most of the societies in the region.
Addressing the symposium, former First Lady of Britain Cherie Blair said a large number of people in the Asian region are now living under abject poverty although this region has achieved significant development in science, technology and economic sectors in the last century.
People's rights to education are still absent in the region, she said and cautioned that it may cause huge devastation in society if the talent of women is not properly taken into cognizance.
Former First Lady of Japan Akie Abe called upon all concerned to make the best use of the ability of womenfolk for building a peaceful and poverty-free modern Asia. In this context, she said only education can help women to play a due role in their political and economic empowerment.
Appreciating women education, their development and empowerment in Bangladesh, she said this country could be a role model for other Asian countries in women empowerment.
Malaysian First Lady Rosmah Mansor said women’s empowerment help them in decision-making programmes. Only education can help empower the women, she added.
In the function, former First Lady of Britain Cherie Blair was awarded the prestigious "Chancellor Award" and human rights activist of Kuwait Lulwa Al Mulla received the Asian University Award.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, Founder and Chief Executive of the university Kamal Ahmed and Chairman of Board of Directors Jack R Meyer, among others, spoke on the occasion.
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