Tablets to be Distributed to 116,000 GPA-5 Achievers

Asafur Rahman Kazal

Education Minister Mr. Ehsanul Haque Milan announced that 116,000 students with a GPA of 5 will each get a tablet to encourage academic performance, as well as a plan to provide bicycles to promote secondary education among female students. Speaking as the chief guest at the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) Day festivities on Tuesday, he said that the government is trying to raise the amount allotted to education from 3.4 percent of the national budget to 5 percent. Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Muhammad Masud presided over the program, which took place in the KUET auditorium. National Parliament Whip Mr. Rokibul Islam Bakul, MP, was a special guest.

Speaking to the academic administration, the Education Minister stated that discussions are in progress to find a solution to the 4,500 teacher recruitment procedures that are presently stuck because of complexity and to ensure appointments immediately. He emphasized the obligation to verify requirements for programs like Building Engineering alongside Civil Engineering or Urban and Regional Planning with Architecture, criticizing the justification for creating new departments without evaluating necessity. He suggested taking into consideration the nation’s current specialized universities and suitable laboratory facilities for specialist disciplines like leather engineering.

The Minister emphasized technology-driven education, stating that in the era of electric vehicles, EV-related programs must be included alongside mechanical and electrical engineering, and that universities must also include current topics like robotics and artificial intelligence. The government spends about 1,075,000 BDT per university student, he stated, expressing disappointment over KUET’s offer to start an AI program that has been waiting at the University Grants Commission for two years. He said that building infrastructure by itself is insufficient and that alumni groups must be used for monitoring graduate employment.

Every year on September 1, KUET Day is celebrated to mark the institution’s transformation from the Bangladesh Institute of Technology to a fully established engineering and technological university in 2003. Professor Dr. Mohammad Shahjahan Ali, the head of the anniversary celebration committee, and Mr. Raihan Ahmed, the general secretary, both addressed the program. The day’s festivities included the raising of national and university flags, a celebration rally, exhibitions, project presentations by various departments, the official opening of labs, sports contests, debate sessions, doa mahfils, and cultural performances.