Twelve students, selected by the Education Ministry as the nation’s most promising, have been presented with the National Awards for their talent and creativity.
Published : 23 Apr 2013, 06:22 AM
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave away the awards at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka.
The awards carry TK 100,000 in cash and a citation.
The selections were made through a nationwide talent hunt by the ministry for the first time.
Apart from the top 12, 84 other students considered ‘promising’ were given consolation prizes by the Prime Minister.
Competitions were held in three categories -- Class 6-8, 9-10 and 11-12. The awards were given away for exhibiting talent in the ‘Language and Literature’, ‘Daily Science’, ‘Mathematics and Computer’ and ‘Bangladesh Studies’ segments.
Grade-8 student of Dhaka’s YWCA Girls’ School Humayra Adiba got the top award in the Class 6-8 category in the ‘Language and Literature’ segment. Anika Bushra of Rajshahi’s Government PN High School was awarded in the Class 9-10 category, while Sunamganj Government College’s first-year student Madhurima Saha got the award in the Class 11-12 category.
Nilphamari Government Girls’ High School’s Grade-8 student Bushra Adiba got the award in the ‘Daily Sciences’ segment. Grade-10 student of the Sylhet Government Jubilee High School Supantha Joy got the award in this segment in the Class 9-10 category, while Chittagong College’s first-year student Mohammad Azmain Iktidar got it in the 11-12 category.
In the ‘Mathematics and Computer’ segment, Chittagong Government High School’s Grade-8 student Tahnik Nur Samin, Rangamati Government High School’s Grade-10 student Bhuban Dey, and MC College, Sylhet’s first-year student Azwad Anjum Islam also got the awards in various segments.
Afia Anjum Ara, a Grade-8 student of Kushtia Government Girls’ High School, Rajshahi Government PN Girls’ High School’s Grade-9 student Mosharrat Mehjabin, and Amtoli Degree College, Barguna’s first-year student Basit Molla got awards in ‘Bangladesh Studies’ segment.
The competition started on Mar 13 across Bangladesh and the final selections were made in Dhaka a month later out of the 96 shortlisted candidates.
Ministry officials said around 100,000 contestants have participated in the competition. Of them, 7,000 have got awards at various levels.
Sheikh Hasina thanked the Education Ministry for the talent hunt and promised her government's support for nurturing talent.
“Our kids are very talented, more talented than most in the rest of the world,” Hasina said. “But we have to make sure the talent is harnessed and nurtured properly.”
The Prime Minister recounted her government’s achievement in the field of education – nationalising 26,000 primary schools, giving regular government employment to 104,000 teachers, setting up of schools in remote regions and much more.
Twelve engineering colleges were set up during her previous tenure as the Prime Minister, Hasina said. She also spoke of her government’s steps to promote gender equality in education.
“There must be equal boarding facilities for girls and boys in all schools,” she said emphasising that this was a priority for her government.