Hasina urges help in digital education at primary level

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the affluent section of society, particularly former students, to help their schools to in digitalisation.
“I hope those who are rich and well established will donate something to schools of their areas as gifts and this is my ardent
call to the nation,” she said.
The prime minister was addressing a function while inaugurating the ‘Primary Education Content; Conversion to Inter-Active Multimedia Digital Version’ programme in the
capital Dhaka.
Hasina said some 1,500 multimedia classrooms have already been set up while some 5,000 laptops have also been provided, aiming to flourish the operations of multimedia
classrooms across Bangladesh.
“I’ll call upon all the Bangladeshis that they were once students in primary schools and now they’ve become established like businessmen or job holders ... why not they take up initiative to provide at least one multimedia projector or a laptop as gift to their former school,” she said.
The prime minister said it is not so tough to have at least one multimedia classroom in 63,601 primary schools across the country.
“We’ll take our steps from the government, but alongside this all should have to come up with self-initiatives.”
Noting that education is the most important tool for building a nation, Hasina said it is education which can
free a country from poverty.
Mentioning that the country’s children and students are talented and meritorious, Hasina said scopes should be created for flourishing their talents for which the government gives greater importance to
technology-based education.
Cautioning guardians over exerting too much pressure on the children for their academic activities, Hasina said guardians
should stop such practice.
Hasina said the lessons should be more attractive for students and schools should have such an environment so that they feel more encouraged in their academic activities.
The prime minister also vowed to make a stronger foundation of education for the future generation using modern technologies.
Most schools in hilly areas of the Chittagong Hill Tracts will be turned into residential one for the convenience of students, the prime minister reiterated.
The main aim of Inter-Active Multimedia Digital Version’ programme is to prepare interactive multimedia digital education content of 17 books in Bangla, English, Mathematics, Science, Bangladesh and World Affairs related to the curriculum of primary education framed by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB).
The digital education content incorporated in various kinds of pictures, charts, diagrams, audio, video and other multimedia components and thus presenting those through animation for making the textbook contents is more
attractive and easily perceivable.
Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman Fizar, State Minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Pakak, Brac founder and chairperson Fazle Hasan Abed and interim regional director of Save the Children, Michael McGrath, also spoke on the occasion. ICT division secretary Shyam Sundor Sikder delivered the address of welcome.