Dhaka: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday urged university students to collaborate in maintaining a stable political environment crucial for nation-building. Addressing students at the Professor Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium in the Faculty of Social Sciences building at the University of Dhaka, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of political stability for sustainable development.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Prime Minister encouraged students to learn a third language in addition to Bengali and English to broaden their global employment opportunities. His interaction with the students followed the inauguration of a workshop titled ‘Transforming Higher Education in Bangladesh: Roadmap to Sustainable Excellence,’ organized by the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh.
Over 150 students participated in the event, engaging the Prime Minister with questions on various topics including education, employment, corruption, and governance. Tarique Rahman, recalling his visit to the Dhaka University campus after nearly 35 years, highlighted the need to understand the younger generation’s vision for Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister invited students to engage in open discussions about the future of Bangladesh and stressed the necessity of a stable environment for building institutions and ensuring national development. Addressing a question from a Master’s student, Tarique underscored the role of students in fostering public opinion for political stability.
He remarked that political activities should move from the streets to parliament for effective governance and that dialogue and thoughtful decision-making are essential for the country’s progress. Tarique reiterated the need for students’ cooperation, emphasizing that the future belongs to them and urging them to protest when necessary.
During the session, the Prime Minister discussed issues of teacher recruitment, corruption, and social attitudes. He noted that past political influences have affected the merit-based recruitment of teachers at Dhaka University and called for improvements based on academic performance.
Responding to concerns about infrastructure and employment, Tarique criticized corruption and inflated costs in development projects, highlighting the need for transparency. He mentioned the ‘pillow scam’ as an example of excessive spending in public projects and its impact on the populace.
The Prime Minister also addressed the concept of ‘zero tolerance’ against corruption, acknowledging its challenges but affirming efforts to control it. He emphasized the importance of changing social attitudes and practices gradually.
Tarique highlighted the need for trained museum curators and cultural experts to improve the state of Bangladesh’s museums and spoke about initiatives to engage schoolchildren with civic education.
Concerning the declining use of Bangla, the Prime Minister pointed out that language retention depends on family values and mindset, citing his daughter’s fluency in Bangla despite living abroad. He stressed that cultural identity cannot be enforced through regulations alone but must develop internally.
Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof ABM Obaidul Islam and Marketing Department Professor Morshed Hasan Khan accompanied the Prime Minister on stage during the event. A commemorative crest was presented to the Prime Minister by the Vice-Chancellor at the conclusion of the program.