Fulfil people's aspirations
Hasina urges AL workers
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the president of Awami League, yesterday urged her party workers and supporters to work together to fulfil the aspirations of the people.
“People have brought us to power with many expectations. Now, we have to fulfill all their expectations,” she said at a discussion on the occasion of National Shaheed Day and International Mother Language Day at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.
The prime minister said every Awami League worker and supporter will have to work imbued with spirit of voluntary services to the people.
She also asked the leaders and workers of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student front of her party, to render voluntary service to teach the illiterate people.
“After examinations, BCL members get vacation. During this time, they can teach illiterate people,” Hasina said, adding that the present government is committed to freeing Bangladesh from the curse of illiteracy by 2014.
Paying deep respect to the language martyrs, she said that following the path of great language movement, the nation prepared itself to fight for independence in 1971.
“We are the nation that had sacrificed lives to uphold the dignity of our mother language. We'll also be able to attain economic emancipation,” the prime minister said.
She lamented that even after 40 years of independence Bangladesh could not be freed from the curse of illiteracy.
Hasina said the Awami League government, during its 1996-2001 tenure, had set a target to eliminate illiteracy by 2006 but unfortunately, the next BNP-Jamaat government had stopped advancement in the education sector. “During the BNP regime, literacy rate dropped alarmingly.” said.
She alleged that Khaleda Zia had pushed back the country for many years as she herself could not cross the hurdle of matriculation examination.
“Khaleda's stand is as she could not get educated, she would not let others to be educated,” the Prime Minister told about her prime political rival.
Deputy Leader in Parliament Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury presided over the discussion, which was also addressed, among others, by Awami League advisory council member Suranjit Sengupta MP and Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury.
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