<div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said her government has created opportunities for the country’s children to pursue their education and flourish their talents.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We’ve created scopes for our children so that they can pursue education in various ways and flourish their latent talents,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The PM was speaking at the prize giving ceremony of Essay and Art Competitions, held on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in her official residence Ganabhaban here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She handed over the prizes to the best performers among the 304 winners of the competitions held on the occasion of 99th, 100th, 101st, 102nd, 103rd and 104th birth anniversaries of Bangabandhu.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust arranged the competitions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Noting that the Awami League government has set up various types of specialised universities in the country, Hasina said the government is setting up universities at the district level.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said multi-dimensional universities including medical, agricultural, design and fashion, aerospace and aviation, and science and technology have been established.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The premier said her government formulated many laws and policies for the protection of the children and opened windows for education.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said the government provides the students from pre-primary to secondary level with free textbooks, stipends and scholarship as well as scholarships even for higher education.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Thanks to our steps, the literacy rate has gone up to 76.8 percent now, which was only 45 percent in 2006,” she added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The PM said her government set up computer labs in schools and computer training and incubation centres in the country. “We’re expanding IT education, digital systems and computer training,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said the world is marching forward in the age of technology. “Our children will not lag behind. We’ll build them as a modern nation by equipping them with the latest technological knowledge,” she continued.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister said her government’s vision now is that Bangladesh will be a smart Bangladesh by 2041.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Today’s children and youth will be the future guides of 2041 Bangladesh. We want to develop them properly so that they can take Bangladesh forward,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury was present in the function presided over by President of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum and noted painter Hashem Khan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Curator of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum, Md Nazrul Islam Khan, also spoke on the occasion. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>