We have to move faster: PM

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said spending on the education sector is the biggest investment to build the nation and attain the capability to have a place in this competitive world.

"I don't think expenditure on the education sector as expenditure at all, I think this is an investment, the biggest investment which will build the nation," she said.

The prime minister was speaking at her office marking the distribution of Bangladesh University Grants Commission's (UGC's) gold medals among the winners of 2013 and 2014.

The PM also said the world is moving very fast and getting more competitive every day. "We'll also have to move fast to cope with the pace."

She said Bangladesh is now quite self-reliant economically and the government is spending the lion's share of the resources on education. "With this, the merits and talents [of students] will flourish, and brilliant students will think about the development of the country."

She also mentioned that new technologies are being invented every day and children will have to adapt to those accordingly.

Hasina said there is no scope to stay behind when the world is moving fast. "Keeping that view in mind, we're establishing subject-wise specialised universities across the country," she said.

The prime minister said there will be one medical university in each division. "The work to establish medical universities in Chittagong and Rajshahi is on...we've plan to set up medical university in each division."

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid, among others, spoke at the programme held with UGC chairman Professor Abdul Mannan in the chair.

Source: Prothom Alo