JS session

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Present govt recruited 52,000 primary teachers so far Since assumption of office in January 2009, the present government so far has recruited 52,000 primary teachers for the development of primary education in the country, reports BSS. "Of the teachers, 10,000 are the children of Freedom Fighters," Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr Afsarul Amin told the House Sunday in reply to a question from treasury bench member Shamsul Haque Chowdhury. Besides, he said, the process for recruiting 3,500 more primary teachers is underway and they would also be the children of Freedom Fighters. According to the Education Policy, Afsar said, there is a provision of one teacher for every 40 students. "But the ratio now is one teacher for 50 students." He also said that the government would fill up all vacant posts of the primary teachers in phases to ensure quality education. Responding to another question from BNP lawmaker Mosammat Shammi Aktar, the minister said the present government has been implementing a plan for bringing all children, eligible for going to schools to ensure education for all. Democratic advancement can resist undemocratic forces: Speaker Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Abdul Hamid Advocate said institutional advancement of democracy could resist all undemocratic forces. "The Jatiya Sangsad is the centre point of all activities for the government and parliament members as in all the democratic countries in the world," he told at the outset of ninth session of the ninth Jatiya Sangsad. The lawmakers can discuss any issue in the JS and reach a consensus or a decision on the national issues through discussion, he said urging all to join debate as it is very important in parliamentary democracy. "The people of the country also expect that the JS becomes the centre point of all political activities," the speaker said making a clarion call to the opposition to place all their political issues in the house. Detailing the advancement of democracy across the globe, the speaker said democracy is no more confined now within the voting rights and election processes, its vicinity has been expanded far. Vagabond and shelterless persons (rehabilitation) bill- 2011 placed Vagabond and Shelterless Persons (rehabilitation) Bill- 2011 has been placed in the House with a view to rehabilitating the beggars, vagabonds and shelterless people to bring them to the mainstream of national development. Minister for Social Welfare Enamul Haque Shahid placed the bill in the first sitting of ninth session of the Ninth Parliament. While placing the bill, the minister said the government has taken it into cognizance in view of the current socio-economic situation of the country as the existing law namely 'Bengal Vagrancy Act-1943' seems to be ineffective in many cases. He said the vagabonds and shelterless persons are involved in various occupations, which are ungraceful for them as well as for the nation as a whole. They are involved in many risky occupations making their lives vulnerable to death and serious injury. They are also involved in many unsocial activities including stealing, robbery, drug addiction and smuggling, the minister said adding, this kind of practices are making them crippled affecting the socio-economic development of the country. Under the law, a Vagabond Advisory Board will be established headed by the Social Welfare Secretary and Director General of the Social Welfare Directorate as the member secretary. The advisory board will have members from police, divisional commissioner's office, PM's office and various ministries and departments. The law will empower the government to appoint magistrates to pick up the beggars and vagabonds from their designated areas and send them to the rehabilitation centres to be established in Dhaka and district headquarters at govt and private levels. The law will also have provision for punitive action against the persons who would instigate any child or woman to be involved in the begging profession under the Penal Code-1890, Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance-1976 and other existing laws.