Free education up to degree-level: PM

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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced that her government will make education up to bachelor's degree free of cost, reports bdnews24.com.
She said her government would raise funding for the education sector and appoint more teachers to government primary schools to improve the standard of education.
"I believe education should be made free up to degree level. We will make education free of cost up to degree level for all," Hasina said while inaugurating the National Primary Education Week-2010 at Osmani Memorial Auditorium Thursday.
"We have provided the highest allocation to the education sector in this year's budget. We will increase it further in the next budget because no nation can develop without education."
She said her administration gave priority to expansion of education to eradicate poverty, which in turn was the prime reason for illiteracy.
She expressed the hope that the government's initiatives such as introducing stipends and distributing textbooks free of cost up to secondary level would help reduce the rate of dropouts.
Hasina said the government had introduced primary terminal examinations this year for qualitative improvement of the standard of education.
"Many have criticised the initiative but we have noticed great enthusiasm among children."
Some 20,000 teachers had already been appointed and a further 22,000 would be appointed soon. Some 1,000 head teachers would also be appointed, Hasina said.
She also stressed the need for training for teachers.
The PM said the government planned to make the curriculum easy for the primary education in consultation with academics and professionals, as the current curriculum appeared to be a burden for the children.
"The syllabus for primary education is too heavy. It is not that the children will become scholars if they are
forced to read stacks of books."
Hasina reiterated her government's resolve to build a digital Bangladesh for which it had been working relentlessly.
The Prime Minister later distributed medals among teachers and students for their meritorious achievements in educational pursuits.