Prime Bank Foundation, a non-profit initiative of Prime Bank Limited, awarded scholarships to 260 meritorious and unprivileged students for the year 2022.
A total of 4,227 students have received the stipend from Education Support Programme (ESP), inclusive of the 260 awardees of 2022 so far. The awardees passed HSC or equivalent examinations and are now pursuing their higher education at different universities and colleges across the country.
Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury presented the scholarships through an event at a city hotel on Saturday.
Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury graced the ceremony as the chief guest while Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam, an eminent educationist, was present as the special guest.
Azam J Chowdhury, chairman of Prime Bank Foundation, presided over the event. Tanjil Chowdhury, chairman of Prime Bank, the directors of Prime Bank, and the CEO of Prime Bank Foundation, Dr. Iqbal Anwar also attended the function.
Speaking at the programme, Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said, the government is trying to increase its education budget every financial year.
She also lauded the Prime Bank’s initiative for extending its support to the brilliant and underprivileged students in the country.
Education should be need-based and market-based and the sector should be decorated in line with its demand, Dr. Shirin added.
Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam put emphasis on increasing the annual budget for education as it is still nearly 2.0 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The country’s education budget should be at least 6.0 per cent of its GDP, he stated.
The countries like Vietnam and Cuba are spending 7.0 per cent and 9.0 per cent of their GDP respectively, Professor Manzoorul added.
Azam J Chowdhury said the foundation is going to build a 500-bed state-of-the-art hospital as per its plan.
It has been catering to the healthcare and education needs of the underprivileged for almost two decades, he added.
One of the Foundation’s brilliant initiatives is the ESP. Operational since 2007, the programme has been providing scholarships to several underprivileged but meritorious students from all over Bangladesh.
The awardees of 2022 received scholarships of BDT 2,600 monthly to meet their educational expenses until they graduate. These students have been selected by the Advisory Committee of the Education Support Programme, which consists of Professor M Q K Talukder, Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam & Rashida K Chowdhury.
Besides the ESP, the foundation established Prime Bank Grammar School, Prime Bank Eye Hospital, and Prime College of Nursing, Dhaka.
