Prime Minister of Bangladesh H E Sheikh Hasina delivering a special lecture at Qatar University yesterday. Pic: Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: With a number of women holding top leadership positions, Bangladesh has emerged as a role model in women empowerment.
“We are among the world’s top ten nations for women political empowerment,” said Prime Minister of Bangladesh, H E Sheikh Hasina.
She said that Bangladesh is perhaps the only country where the Prime Minister, Speaker of the Parliament, Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Leader — all four — are women.
The Prime Minister delivered a seminar on ‘Women’s empowerment and role in building institutions in the community: Bangladesh as a model’ at Qatar University yesterday.
The seminar was attended by President of Qatar University Dr. Hassan bin Rashid Al Derham, QU Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies Mariam Al Maadeed, senior officials, dignitaries, members from Bangladesh Embassy and QU students.
Sheikh Hasina discussed the impressive socio-economic progress by Bangladesh and the progress in education and creating a knowledge-based society, as well as women’s empowerment, an issue she regards highly.
Sharing the efforts of Bangladesh in empowering women through education, she said: “Reducing gender disparities, we made girls education free up to 12 grade. Free books are being distributed to all students including boys and girls from pre-primary to secondary levels. Girl students are given a monthly stipend to meet their daily expenses.
“Women are getting training and empowerment opportunities in all areas. We are providing special training to women at village level, enabling them to use digital devices and technologies. We have gender priority in favour of our girls in primary and secondary education.”
She said literacy rate of Bangladesh has increased to 75.2 percent from 45 percent in a decade and a half. “There are a total 118,891 primary level educational institutions in Bangladesh, including 65,566 government primary schools. The number of high schools is over 23,500. About 100 percent of school going children are enrolled,” said Sheikh Hasina.
Along with primary and secondary education, she said: “We have also higher education institutions. There are 162 government approved universities including 53 public universities in the country.”
The Prime Minister said that Bangladesh has given importance to technical and ICT education by establishing specialised universities.
On digital transformation, Sheikh Hasina said, “We want to build a knowledge-based smart Bangladesh with smart government, smart economy, smart population, smart manpower and a smart society.” She said that people will be skilled in using digital devices so that they can contribute in the fourth industrial revolution.
“The purpose of the smart Bangladesh is to keep pace with changing world and use digital devices in all areas including education, health, agriculture, industrial, business and trade,” said the PM.
Discussing health care in Bangladesh, she said: “We have established over 18,000 community clinics and rural health care centres through which primary health care services are being provided to the people.”
She also noted that her government had taken decision to give insulin free of charge through these centers. “All investment in the health sector has started to pay off.”
She continued, “Bangladesh has the fourth largest Muslim population in the world, with over 91% Muslims. Our great Islam accords the highest respect to women and has many accounts of successful female leaders.”
