Bangabandhu scholarship to be introduced for 10 cadets from SIDS, African LDCs

Bangladesh has offered cadet training scholarship after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the country's five government marine academies for foreigners through International Maritime Organization (IMO), reports UNB.

The sholarship has been offered for 10 cadets from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and African Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

This proposal was made when IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasc paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the latter's official residence Ganabhaban on Thursday.

In response, the UN marine agency IMO gladly accepted this offer, said PM's Speechwriter Md Nazrul Islam while briefing reporters after the meeting.

In the meeting, different other issues including shipbuilding, ship recycling, maritime crimes and climate issues came up for discussion.

The IMO official document stressed the need for promoting gender equilibrium in the marine academies in Bangladesh.

In this regard, the PM said there was no girl cadet in the marine academies in the past. But her government introduced the enrollment of girls in the marine academies and many girls are enrolling in the academies.

About the ship recycling industry, the IMO secretary-general said Bangladesh is the largest ship recycling country. Bangladesh demonstrated its high commitment for environmentally safe ship recycling by acceding to the Hong Kong Convention in June last.

The Hong Kong convention, a treaty set up by UN shipping agency the IMO, is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, did not pose any unnecessary risks to human health, safety and to the environment.