Dhaka – Asking students to stay away from drugs, militancy and terrorism, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said those who will walk along this wrong path must face tough actions. UNB news agency reported
“I’ll ask the students to refrain from drug addiction, militancy and terrorism. And tougher actions will be taken against those who will resort to this path,” she said while addressing a discussion arranged on the occasion of the reunion of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) at historic Suhrawardy Udyan marking its 69th founding anniversary.
The Prime Minister also urged the students to create awareness against the three social menaces and put up a strong resistance. Addiction to drugs not only ruins one’s life but also an entire family, she added.
Hasina said the nuisance of terrorism and militancy is a global problem although there is no place of militancy and terrorism in Islam, the religion of peace. “Islam never allows the killing. The only place of a suicide bomber is the hell. No one can go to the heaven after committing suicide.”
Hasina, who is also the lifetime member of BCL, said it seems to her strange when she sees students of the English medium walk on the path of militancy. “Why are they on this path?”
She also said the government will take actions against those who are misguiding the country’s softhearted youths, expressing her firm resolve that militancy and terrorism will not be allowed on Bangladesh soil.
Reminding the term ‘education is the backbone of a nation’, the Prime Minister asked the BCL leaders and activists to indulge in education to make them worthy citizens of the country to free it from poverty. “There’ll be student politics, but pursuing education is the prime job of BCL leaders and activists.”
Talking about acquiring wealth, she said education is the biggest wealth for a person. “I and Sheikh Rehana always teach our children this way.”
Asking every leader and activist of the BCL to embrace education first, Hasina said, “BCL leaders have to get prepared to run the country and the state.”
Coming down heavily on BNP, Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia for patronising and pampering the war criminals while in power, she said they will be tried for this. “Their trial will surely be taken place on the country’s soil.”
The Prime Minister said Bangabandhu prioritised education and nationalised 36,000 primary schools soon after the independence as part of rebuilding the war-ravaged country.
Following the footprint of Bangabandhu, her government has also put emphasis on education and is providing textbooks free of cost up to the secondary level to build a poverty-free digital Bangladesh, she said.
Besides, she said, stipends are being given to 1.30 crore students from primary to tertiary levels so that poor and meritorious students could continue their studies.
Noting that her government established 1,500 new schools in places where there was no school, Hasina said steps are underway to establish at least one university in every district.
She said multimedia classrooms have been introduced in 31,000 schools to impart education to the student using modern technology, and computer labs and multimedia classrooms would be established in all schools in phases.
She also said people in the rural areas are getting 200 types of digital services through 5275 digital centres.
Praising BCL for its glorious role in every struggle and movement of Bengalis, the Prime Minister said it has immense contributions to the all achievements of the Bengali nation.
She recalled that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman used to execute his programmes through BCL.
Noting that many attempts were made to eliminate BCL after the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975, she but remained the same.
Former BCL leaders Tofail Ahmed and Obaidul Quader also took part in the discussion.
BCL President Saifur Rahman Sohag presided over the discussion conducted by General Secretary SM Jakir Hossain.
