<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked the students to groom themselves properly to take the country forward, further raising their heads with self-dignity on the world stage, not bowing to anyone.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;“We’ll have to keep in mind that we’ll take the country forward. Inshallah, this Bangladesh and Bengali nation will move, raising their heads in the world arena with self-dignity and self-esteem. We’ll not bow our heads to anyone. It is our promise,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The premier said this while inaugurating the distribution of stipends, tuition fees and awards among insolvent and meritorious students at her office.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She opened the distribution of stipend and tuition fees among the insolvent and meritorious students from the secondary to graduate (pass) and its equivalent-level. She also conferred the awards to the most talented students of Bangabandhu Srijanshil Mridha Oneshan-2023 (Bangabandhu Creative Talent Search-2023) and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Scholarship Award-2022.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pointing at the students, the PM asked them to keep it in mind always that they belong to a victorious nation which gained independence in the Liberation War and the people here don’t bow their heads to anyone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Today Bangladesh is a role model for development.&nbsp; So, we also show the path. Our meritorious children will take the country forward this way?” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;Hasina said the country will be built as a smart Bangladesh by 2041. Smart people, smart government, smart economy and smart society would be there in the country, she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Noting that today is the age of science, technology and research, she asked the students to prepare themselves to move, keeping pace with the constantly changing world.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mentioning that Bangladesh gained enough success in agricultural research, she stressed the need for giving more importance to medical science research now.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We’re moving forward in all sectors. But our research is lagging behind to some extent in one area and that is the health sector. We’re putting importance to medical science research… I think it needs to give more importance to it,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">PM Hasina said her government has extended the area of research. The government has given importance to oceanographic research and the blue economy as it will make a significant contribution to the development of the country’s economy in future, she added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The PM said today the talented students have got scope to flourish their talents and their innovative power gets exposed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Referring to the speeches delivered by several students in the event, Sheikh Hasina said, “I am really optimistic that none can take this country backwards anymore.”</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said her government was successfully able to keep the higher educational institutions free from session-jams and arms violence.&nbsp; There was session-jams for 6-8 years and the regular clatter of arms in the educational institutions in the past, she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We can at least claim that we could free the campus from that environment, coming to power in 2009,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said a democratic trend has continued since 2009, which is the first time in the 50-year history of Bangladesh. Thanks to the continuation of the democratic trend, the country is moving forward in the development journey, she added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Our literacy rate has risen to 75 percent and we’ve been able to ensure food security,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Citing that now the people are suffering worse throughout the world, she said though the people here in Bangladesh are also facing the brunt of high inflation, food grains are available here. There is no shortage (of food grains).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Education Minister Dipu Moni and Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury also spoke on the occasion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some 5,360,000 students from the secondary, higher secondary and graduation (pass) and equivalent institutions are receiving a total of Tk 1,200 crore as stipends and tuition fees, said Managing Director of Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust Smrity Karmaker in her welcome speech.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The stipends and tuition fees are being disbursed through mobile financial service to the students.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Besides, 15 talented students of the Class-VI to Class-XII, who were found out through the Bangabandhu Srijanshil Mridha Oneshan-2023, were awarded, while 22 post graduate-level students were conferred with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Scholarship Award-2022, she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 15 students each received a crest, certificate and Tk 2 lakh, while the 22 students, selected for the scholarship award-2022, each received a crest, certificate and Tk 3 lakh. 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