Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina distributed cheques to descendants of two Bir Shrestras and 10 different gallantry award recipient freedom fighters and their family members.

Every recipient received a cheque of Taka 3 lakh from the Prime Minister at a function at her office on Sunday morning.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, Planning Minister AHM Mostafa Kamal, Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman, State Minister for Finance MA Mannan, Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Abdul Matlub Ahmed, PMO secretary Suriya Begum, UGC Chairman Prof. Abdul Mannan and concerned secretaries were present.

After distributing the cheques, the prime minister asked officials concerned to ensure that the educational supports offered by the government reach properly to all deserving children to build a modern educated nation as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

‘The government has attached highest importance to education as it is the only tool to make the country poverty free,’ the prime minister’s press secretary Ehsanul Karim quoted her as saying while presiding over the fourth meeting of the advisory council of the Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust Fund at her office in Dhaka.

Briefing reporters after the meeting Karim said the Prime Minister, the chairperson of the Trust, reviewed the progress of the implementation the decisions taken in the previous meeting.

Sheikh Hasina said despite severe financial crisis in war ravaged post-independence Bangladesh, the Bangabandhu government had nationalised the primary education and made education fully complimentary for female students to build an education nation.

Highlighting the steps taken by her government to ensure access of every children to basic needs of education the Prime Minister said textbooks are being distributed free of cost among students to lessen burden of cost on guardians.

‘Multimedia class rooms are being set up in every school to have the students’ access to scientific, knowledge based modern education. Residential schools are being constructed for hilly and haor areas,’ she said.

The government in 2015-2016 fiscal distributed a total of Taka 2,466.46 crore among 1,66,45,777 students, the meeting was told.

Earlier, the Prime Minister distributed chequers to descendants of two Bir Shrestras and 10 different gallantry award recipient freedom fighters and their family members.

Every recipient received a cheque of Taka 3 lakh from the Prime Minister at a function at her office.