Dhaka: The Prime Minister on Wednesday urged guardians to keep watch on their children so that they and do not slip into the wrong path.

‘I request guardians to remain alert so that their children must not go to the wrong path; give them proper guidance so that they could learn the country’s real history, the Liberation War, and love the country and its people,’ she said.

The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating the Disbursement of Primary Education Stipend using Mobile Banking titled ‘Mayer Hasi’ from her official residence Ganobhaban through a video conferencing with deputy commissioners of the districts, upazila nirbahi officers and power sector officials concerned.

Under the project, government stipends for 13 million primary students will be transferred to their mothers’ mobile bank accounts.

Once received the stipend, mothers will be able to withdraw the money from nearby Rupali Bank SureCash agents, make payments or save the money in their accounts for future use. The system will expedite financial inclusion of mothers and women empowerment.

The Prime Minister hoped that the system would reduce hassle and save time of the guardians.

Under the project, she said, public sector mobile operator Teketalk has provided 2 million SIMs to mothers with free talk time for Tk 20.

Terming this distribution through mobile banking system as a one step forward in the government pledge to make Digital Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said her government is working to ensure a prosperous life for people.

She said many families are unable to send their children to school and engage them in physical labour to earn money. ‘Many mothers have told me they’ll send their children to school if we give them the same amount of money their children earn to support their families,’ she added.

Hasina said the government is engaged in constant efforts to build an educated nation as this is the only way to make the country free from poverty.

Minister for Primary and Mass Education Advocate Mustafizur Rahman also spoke at the programme conducted by Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury.

Later, the Prime Minister talked to the beneficiaries of the project, school teachers, guardians of Tungipara upazila of Gopalganj, Pirganj of Rangpur and Parbotipur of Dinajpur districts.