FROM UNITED NATIONS HEADQUARTERS: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was called in the Panel-1 Discussion of High-level Event on the UN Secretary General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) at Trusteeship Council, UN Headquarters as Bangladesh is the champion. 

World leaders listened to the success stories of Bangladesh from her mouth.

Sheikh Hasina told the initiatives taken by her government to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) along with the issues to be prioritized in 2015.

She asked all the leaders of the world to “divert billions we spend for creating war machines and violence to educating our progeny for the ‘world we want’”.

Hasina also said, “Let us all invest in quality education for a ‘Culture of Peace and Non-Violence’.”

Sheikh Hasina made the call in the in New York.

In her speech, Bangladesh premier said, “Bangladesh will have more than 120 million young and active workforces till 2031. My government is determined to unlock their talents and transform them into skilled human capital.”

“Bangladesh’s National Education Policy 2010 laid foundations towards that end,” she added.

World leaders listened to Hasina’s speech in a pin drop silence.

She said, “Quality education needs quality teachers. My government has trained nearly a million secondary teachers in quality teaching and evaluation methods.”

“We have reserved 60 percent teaching positions in primary schools for qualified women,” she added.

The premier further said, “In a low-income-country quality education must ensure access to free textbooks and contemporary curricula. Only in 2013, we distributed 318 million free textbooks to primary and secondary students. A new national curriculum and a creative assessment system have been developed. Madrassa education has been reformed with mainstreaming of science and ICT education.”

Hasina also put emphasis on ICT knowledge-base saying “In Bangladesh ICT knowledge is compulsory for secondary and higher secondary students. Our ‘Digital Bangladesh’ vision for a technology-driven society is implementing a rigorous ICT Master Plan for Education.”

She also said, “Bangladesh has introduced free pre-primary classes in all primary schools. To ensure healthy early learners we provide free mid-day meals to primary and secondary students.”

Emphasising on continuing learning, Sheikh Hasina in her speech mentioned, “Just in 2013, we gave stipends to nearly 12 million meritorious secondary-to-bachelor’s students to ensure continued learning. Girls received 75 percent of these stipends.”

She said, “Our aim is also to create skilled youths for job markets at home and abroad. Over the last five years, we have increased number of graduates in Technical and Vocational Education Training by seven folds.”

The premier further said, “Quality education must ensure inclusion of the excluded. Bangladesh is developing a law towards a uniform education system covering nearly 70 million young learners, from mainstream, madrassas and minorities.”

Girls and women’s education must remain a pillar of quality education, she added.

Hasina also said, “We need resources for quality education. This fiscal, Bangladesh allocated 11.66 percent of its budget for education.”

She called the leaders to spend money in education sector instead of arms saying, “We, at the GEFI, must build global partnerships and consensus for resources. We must divert billions we spend for creating war machines and violence to educating our progeny for the ‘world we want’.”

Sheikh Hasina finished her speech saying, “Let us all invest in quality education for a ‘Culture of Peace and Non-Violence’.”

Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, Food Minister Quamrul Islam, Taufique Imam, adviser to PM, finance adviser Dr Mashiur Rahman, State Minister for Foreign Minister Shahriar Alam, Bangladesh ambassador to US M Ziauddin, Dr Dipu Moni, PM’s principal secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder, Nazmul Haque Pradhan MP and Razi Mohammad Fakhrul MP accompanied the premier.

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BDST: 0300 HRS, SEP 25, 2014