Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said spending money on education sector is a great investment for the future, not an expense.

‘I never see spending money on education as an expense, I think it’s an investment,’ the Prime Minister said, reports the UNB.

She said this while distributing The Prime Minister Gold Medal Award at a ceremony arranged by the University Grants Commission (UGC) at the Shapla Hall of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Sheikh Hasina said public universities are statutory bodies but ‘more than 90 percent of their expenditures— no, not 90 percent — in fact, 100 percent expenditures are borne by the government… what the development is needed we do that from the government.’

She said spending money on education means building the future generation which will be helpful in materialising the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to make the country a ‘Golden Bengal’.

The Prime Minister said the students will help continue the country’s march forward initiated by the government. ‘Make sure the country never steps back.’

Presided over by UGC Chairman Prof Abdul Mannan, the function was addressed, among others, by Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, Secretary of Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education Md Sohorab Hossain and Member of UGC Prof Dr Dil Afroza Begum.

Israt Jahan Pia of Jagannath University and Sajan Dhar of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology spoke on behalf of the Gold Medal recipients.

Earlier, the Prime Minister handed over the gold medals among 163 talented students of different public and private universities of the country for achieving the highest marks/CGPA in their respective faculties.

The Prime Minister Gold Medal was introduced in 2005 in a bid to encourage the talented university students.

Ministers, Advisers to the Prime Minister, National Professors, former UGC Chairmen, Secretaries of different ministries, UGC Members, Vice-Chancellors from public and private universities, educationists, high officials from Prime Minister’s Office and UGC and parents and guardians of the awardees were, among others, present on the occasion.