UNB, Mouchak (Gazipur) :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged the scouts to prepare themselves to shoulder the future leadership of the country rising above hatred, enmity and moral degradation.
She hoped that the scouts enlightened with education would groom them as worthy citizens of the country, upholding the noble vow of scouting in every sphere of life.
The Prime Minister was speaking while inaugurating the Ninth Bangladesh and First SAARC National Scouts Organization (SANSO) Jamboree with the theme, ‘Scouting for Peace and Harmony’, at the National Scout Training Centre at Mouchak in Kaliakoir of Gazipur district in the morning.
About 9,000 scouts from different parts of the country as well as scouts from SAARC member countries are taking part in the Scout Jamboree.
Hasina said, the main motto of Scouting is “to be ready all the time” and urged the scouts to be always prepared for development, peace and harmony in the country.
“Scouts always work tirelessly at times of natural disasters,” she said and praised their efforts in serving the victims of cyclone, flood, and severe cold.
The Prime Minister said the scouts work in the area for creating mass awareness on various issues including health education, planting of trees, EPI and environment. She hoped that they will expand and bring more dynamism in their activities.
Hasina iterated her commitment to extend all possible cooperation for strengthening the scout movement in the country.
In this regard, she said Cub Scout and Scout teams have been formed in all government and non-government primary and high schools, and equivalent schools across the country through Cubing Expansion Project of Primary and Mass Education Ministry and Human Resource Development through Scouting Project of the Education Ministry.
The image of the country has enhanced abroad through organizing the First Asia Pacific Regional Scout Conference in Dhaka in 2012, she mentioned.
The Prime Minister urged the scout leaders for initiatives to increase the number of scouts in Bangladesh maintaining their qualitative standard as the present 13 lakh scouts is not enough for the huge population of the country.
“Form two scout teams in every educational institution for the purpose,” she said.
Hasina said, at present, the number of girls guide in the country is 1.53 lakh, which should be increased and assured all out government support in this regard.
She said, she already gave necessary directives to turn the Mouchak National Scout Training Centre into an International Training Complex.
The Prime Minister called for building efficient management with the construction of ‘Scout Bhavan’ in every district for smooth running of scouting activities and assured all out cooperation of her government in this regard.
She said, scouting can make children self-reliant in phases from their childhood and help them grow with the noble mentality of serving others.
Hasina advised the scouts to take the preparation from now to face the challenges of information technology (IT), saying the present world is marching forward based on IT.
In this context, she said her government supplied computers and introduced multimedia classrooms in schools to build efficient information technologists side by side setting up Union Information Service Centres across the country.
President of Bangladesh Scouts Abdul Karim also spoke at the inaugural function. Member of the Planning Commission and chairman of the organising committee of the Ninth Bangladesh and First SAARC National Scouts Organization (SANSO) Jamboree Hedayet Ullah Al Mamun gave the welcome address.
