Prime Minister Tarique Rahman announced that the government has decided to make education free for women up to the Honours level to further expand their educational opportunities. He stated that all expenses would be borne by the government. Additionally, scholarships would be provided for female students who achieve good results.
He made these remarks on Sunday (August 16) afternoon while releasing fish fry into the Old Brahmaputra River, distributing fish fry among local fishermen, and exchanging greetings with local people at Mirzapur Chairman Barighat area in Pakundia Upazila of Kishoreganj, on the occasion of National Fisheries Week 2026.
The Prime Minister said that when Deshnetri Khaleda Zia was in charge of running the country, she had made education free for women up to the Intermediate level. Women constitute half of the country’s population. If we keep this female society backward, it will not be possible to move the country forward. That is why the current government has decided to make education free for women up to the Honours level. All expenses will be borne by the government.
He further stated, “There are many sisters and daughters here. You must study diligently and attentively so that when you grow up, you can take the helm of this country. Not only that, but the government will also arrange stipends for girls who achieve good results.”
The Prime Minister added that the government intends to provide school uniforms once a year to children from poor families in thousands of primary schools scattered across rural areas. Not just school uniforms, but also school bags will be delivered to approximately 1.2 crore children. In addition to providing new books every year, they aim to deliver new school bags and school uniforms directly to every home.
Regarding making women self-reliant, the Prime Minister said, “Just as we want to advance the women of Bangladesh in education, we also want to make them self-reliant. Before the elections, we stated that family cards would be progressively delivered to the four crore Bangladeshi families where a woman is the head of the household and manages the family. By the grace of Allah, the work on family cards has also begun.”
The Prime Minister expressed hope that these cards would be progressively delivered to every household in the country over the next five years.