Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged the National Defence College (NDC) to keep up its standard and upgrade its curriculums regularly to remain relevant under the changed global scenario. 

Sheikh Hasina expressed her firm optimism that the officials, completing NDC courses, would steer the national efforts towards stability, development and empowerment of the people with their knowledge, determination and commitment.  

The Prime Minister was addressing at the Graduation Ceremony of one-year National Defense Course (NDC)- 2015 and Armed Forces War Course (AFWC)-2015 held at Mirpur Cantonment, Dhaka on Saturday.

Congratulating the new graduates the Prime Minister hoped that the NDC course would make the graduates more capable to face any annoying situation.  

In a present globalized multi-centric world, she said, technologies are increasing connections among all the people, providing solutions while sometimes creating stresses and tensions about security through its abuse. Specially, militants and terrorists spread their claws to undermine humanism, she added.  

The Prime Minister expressed her firm optimism that the new graduates, who would later join different positions, be able to serve the country better and goal of attaining global peace and security would be greatly enhanced.

Commandant of the National Defence College, Lieutenant General Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardy congratulated the graduating members and thanked the faculty members and staff officers of the college for their dedicated efforts in conducting the courses successfully.  

This year a total of 75 local and foreign officials from Army, Navy, Air Force, civil administration, police, foreign services completed the National Defence Course while 37 officials from Army, Navy and Air Force completed the Armed Forces War Course.  

Ministers, Advisers to the Prime Minister, MPs, high commissioners and ambassadors of different countries in Bangladesh, chiefs of the three Services, spouses of the graduates and high civil and military officials attended the graduation ceremony.  

Earlier, the Prime Minister distributed certificates among the participants of the National Defence Course and Armed Forces War Course 2015.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the National Defense College, dedicated to train the operational and strategic local and foreign leaders of militaries to civil services officers and the policy makers on democratic and constitutional imperatives, is contributing to the promotion of a culture of accountability and transparency. The officials have been carrying out high responsibilities in their respective services, she said.  

Sheikh Hasina said during the course, the officials learned different aspects of a state, including socio-political culture, economy, international relations and national security alongside studying problems of governance and different solutions to these problems.  

She said before 1996, there was no institution for the higher training of senior and mid-ranking officers of Armed Forces in the country.  

The NDC was established during the first tenure of her government. Over the years, she said, the NDC has turned into an internationally reputed military educational organization which is indeed a matter of pride for us.

The Prime Minister said the main objective of our liberation war was to establish a democratic, exploitation free, secular and just society. Despite various odds, the present government has been trying hard to ensure these principles in the country's politics, economy and governance systems, she said.  

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh's patriotic armed forces, born in the battlefield of the liberation war, would always stand beside the people to meet their hopes and aspirations. They would work with integrity, commitment and perseverance to help the people in the times of natural and man-made disasters, develop infrastructures and bring global peace, she said.  

The partnership between the people and the armed forces would be cemented further in the coming days, she hoped.  

The Prime Minister said the strategic location of Bangladesh made it an important ‘actor’ in the global politics. Bangladesh is playing a major role in promoting regional integration.  

‘We are living in a more interdependent world where many policies of developed nations put effect on developing ones, making them extremely vulnerable to those policies. So it is a must for the developing countries forge increasing security and economic relations among themselves to diversify and strengthen their economy and national security,’ the Prime Minister said.

Pointing out her government's stride to strengthen regional cooperation, Sheikh Hasina said she is happy to see that in the last 7 years, the South Asian region has seen substantial progressed on security issues, bilateral relations and multi-lateral cooperation.  

The Prime Minister wished every success in the career of the foreign graduates and hoped that they would act as Bangladesh's ambassadors in their countries.

 The Prime Minister said her government is very keen for the capacity building of the National Defense College. A project to build an annex structure of the College, costing Tk 132.35 crore is already under process, she said.  

The government also advised to increase the civil service participation in the National Defence Course with a view to widening the scope of civil-military relationship and attain the objectives of the College, she said. 

The Prime Minister thanked the commandant and members of the faculty and staff of NDC for their excellent standard of professionalism and assured of providing all her government support for all times to come.