Lessen extra burden of books on children
PM renews call to teachers
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks at a grand rally of teachers organised by Bangladesh Government Secondary Teachers Association on the Residential Model College premises in the capital yesterday. Photo: PMO
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday announced that from now on the job of the assistant teachers of the government secondary schools will be treated as 'second class' instead of 'third class'. “From today you are second class job holders,” she said while addressing a grand rally of teachers organised by Bangladesh Government Secondary Teachers Association on the Residential Model College premises in the capital. Hasina iterated her call to lessen the extra burden of books on the children and make learning enjoyable for them. She said the Primary School Terminal, Junior School Certificate and Junior Dakhil Certificate examinations have been introduced to bring qualitative changes in the country's education sector. Besides, she said her government emphasised imparting training to the teachers to raise their standard of teaching and the academic activities of a number of renowned schools in Dhaka city were being recorded and telecast through state-run BTV five days a week. The premier requested the teachers not to torture the students physically or mentally, rather teach them with affection and love, saying that the teachers have a more important role than the parents in building the future of their students. Putting emphasis on building strong morality and character of the students, she asked the teachers to create facilities for games and sports for the students. Hasina said the attraction of the students towards education has increased as the government was reaching free textbooks to them on the first day of the academic year as well as supplying educational materials. She mentioned that the real history of the war of liberation has been incorporated in the textbooks so that the tender hearted children could have knowledge about the thousand years of heroic tales and history, and traditions and culture of the country. She said her government had removed gender discrimination in the education sector and was providing stipends to 40 percent of the students up to higher secondary level, of which 30 percent are female. The government has created the facilities of coeducation for the disabled students through reserved admission quota for them, she added. Hasina said the Prime Minister's Education Assistance Trust Fund has been formed under public private partnership with Tk 1,000 crore as seed money to help the poor and meritorious students to continue their studies up to secondary level. Hasina said her government formulated a modern, time-befitting, and science and technology-based education policy, which was under implementation now. She said considering the increased number of students in the country, second shift has been introduced in 83 government secondary schools across the country. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, State Minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Education Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, director general of Secondary and Higher Secondary Directorate Prof M Noman Ur Rashid and general secretary of Bangladesh Government Secondary Teachers Association M Insan Ali also spoke at the function, chaired by Association President M Shamsul Huq.
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