Bangladesh Goverment conciously welcome the support on education sector . UNICEF will provide allout cooperation for the development of children and further raising literacy rate in Bangladesh.
The assurance came when UNICEF Country Representatives Carel De Rooy paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office here this morning.
During the meeting, the UNICEF Representative highly appreciated the present government’s rural development and social safety net programmes to address the issue of extreme poverty in the country.
He also lauded the government’s sincere commitment and efforts for the development of children as well as raising the country’s literacy rate.
In reply, the Prime Minister said her government attaches importance to expansion of education as it is the main tool of poverty alleviation.
She said her previous government from 1996-2001 raised the country’s literacy rate to 65 percent from 45 percent in five years and set a target to achieve cent percent literacy rate by 2006.
But due to the negligence of the successive government this rate dropped after 2001, she added.
Sheikh Hasina said after assuming office this time her government again expedited its sincere efforts to further increase the literacy rate of the country.
The Prime Minister said the present government distributed 19 crore text books among the students up to secondary level free of cost this year and will distribute 23 crore books in future for ensuring education for all.
Listing various efforts for socio economic development of the people, Sheikh Hasina said the number of beneficiaries and amount of money have been increased on old age pension, widow allowance and freedom fighter allowance schemes.
Regarding child and maternal mortality rate, she said steps have already been taken to bring down the rate to a significant level.
Laying emphasis on an uninterrupted democracy for the overall development of a country, Sheikh Hasina said no country can achieve desired development without democracy.
In this context, she referred to her government’s programmes for strengthening democracy. “Due to the absence of democracy in Bangladesh various pro-people development initiatives could not be implemented,” she added.
The Prime Minister said her government is working relentlessly for establishing peace in Bangladesh as well as in South Asian region.
Apart from this, she said her government has also set up employment bank for generation of employment opportunities for the country’s millions of young people so that they could contribute to the economic activities of the country.
Ambassador At-Large M Ziauddin, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister MA Karim, Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office Mollah Waheeduzzaman, Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad and PS to Prime Minister Nazrul Islam Khan were present on the occas
