Move ahead with Bangabandhu's ideals: PM

Badal Saha, Tungipara: Urging the children to move ahead with the ideals of Bangabandhu, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, "The Father of the Nation was born in this soil and he is in his eternal sleep as well here. So, those who're the children of this soil will have to move ahead upholding his ideals."

"I'll ask you to love the country and its people, groom yourselves in such a way so that you could become the future leaders of the country or even become the Prime Minister, you'll have to have such self-confidence," she said.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing the Children's Rally and Cultural Function held on Bangabandhu Mausoleum premises marking his 98th birthday of Bangabandhu and the National Children's Day at 3:00pm on Friday.

The premier renewed her call to guardians, teachers, members of law enforcement agencies, religious leaders, including imams, muajjins, ulema Mashayekh, to look whether their children go to the right path or the wrong one of drug addiction or militancy or remain absent in schools or other academic institutions for long without any valid reason.

Highlighting her government's various steps taken for the welfare of children, Hasina said children would have to gain sound health alongside engaging in sports and games, and various cultural competitions. "We'll have to expand these scopes so that no child goes to the wrong path."

In the country's first constitution, Bangabandhu made the primary education compulsory. Bangabandhu had given importance to education at a time when the country was reeling from economic crisis. Even in financial crisis he nationalised the services of primary school teachers and made the education of girls complimentary, she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangabandhu used to love the children most. Bangabandhu always nourished the expectation that every child would be a worthy citizen of the country.

Bangabandhu enacted 'Children Rights Act" in 1974 aimed at protecting the children from all adversities, she said adding that 'today we are just following the footprint of Bangabandhu who had designed the nation's future ways.

Highlighting the projects taken by her government for development of children's education, the prime minister said more than 36,000 primary school were nationalised with introduction of the pre-primary education system. Textbooks are being distributed free of cost while stipend are being given to the poor children to help them continue studies, she said.

Referring to her government's steps to make the country free from beggars, she vowed that there would be no street children or 'Tokai' in the country as scopes are being created and expended for them to go to school and continue their academic activities.

Hasina also mentioned that steps have already been taken to stop children repression through enactment of necessary laws while school feeding programme is also there in operation to keep the children in schools.

Later, the Prime Minister distributed awards among the winners of various competitions including drawing and hand writing competition, cultural competition and historic 7th March Speech Competition.

The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and Gopalganj district administration jointly organised the rally joined by school children of different educational institutions of Tungipara, the birthplace of Bangabandhu.

Upama Biswas, a student of local Maleka Academy, presided over the function while State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki was present as the special guest.

Earlier, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina here Friday morning paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the occasion of the 98th birthday of the great leader.

The President and the Premier paid the homage by placing wreaths at the mazar (mausoleum) of Bangabandhu at Tungipara in  Gopalganj.

President Abdul Hamid first laid a wreath at the mazar of Bangabandhu followed by the Prime Minister.

After placing the wreaths, they stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of the Father of the Nation as the bugle played the last post.

A smartly turned out contingent drawn from Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force gave an honour guard on the occasion.

Abdul Hamid and Sheikh Hasina offered Fateha and joined a munajat seeking eternal peace of the departed soul of Bangabandhu as well as other martyrs of the August 15 carnage.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Awami League Presidium Member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque, LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Engineer Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Science and Technology Minister Architect Yeafesh Osman, Land Minister Shamsur Rahman Sharif Dilu, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, PM's Security Adviser Major General (retd) Tariq Ahmed Siddiq, AL Presidium Member Muhammad Faruk Khan, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki, AL Joint Secretaries Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman, Organizing Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim were present on the occasion, among others.

risingbd/DHAKA/Mar 17, 2017/Badal Saha/Amirul