Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Wednesday said free tuition benefits shall be provided up to degree and equivalent level for both girls and boys.

The former prime minister made the remarks while unveiling her party's 256-point Vision-2030 at a crowded press conference at a capital Dhaka's hotel.

The BNP chief said, ‘Free tuition benefits shall be provided up to degree and equivalent level for both girls and boys. Education stipend program shall be expanded for both boys and girls.’

She said, ‘There is no alternative to education, diffusion of technology and human resource development in a resource poor and densely populated country like Bangladesh. Education shall be vocation-centered and linked with the needs of daily life. BNP wants to improve the quality of education at every level and overcome backwardness in science-education. Education is not a monopoly of the rich. BNP shall ensure quality education for all, irrespective of rich and poor. BNP shall take the opportunity for education to the door steps of the people of backward areas.’

Khaleda Zia said BNP will eradicate illiteracy within a decade. Five percent of the GDP will be spent in the education sector.

‘Higher education in Bangladesh will be enriched through knowledge intensity, science and technology. Emphasis will be given on discipline based education, training and research. A world-class university will be established,’ she added.

The former prime minister said a dedicated education channel in the national TV shall be installed for extension of education and its quality development.

She said, ‘In order to connect Bangladesh with the world of merit and the international labor market emphasis will be placed upon learning Bangla, and English and other foreign languages like Korean, Chinese, Japanese, German, Arabic, French, Spanish, etc. In order to cater for language skills, training activities shall be intensified. In order to achieve this goal, more foreign language institutes will be established under government initiative and the private sector shall be encouraged to establish foreign language institutes through incentives. These institutes will be subjected to regulatory mechanism.’

Khaleda Zia said a special fund shall be created for providing scholarship to the meritorious students to enable them to achieve highest degree in their field of study from renowned foreign universities.

The former prime minister said BNP’s education policy will be life-oriented, and not degree-oriented.

‘In Bangladesh, huge number of foreigners have been employed in business and industrial organizations due to inadequacy of specialized human resource like managers, business administrators and technical hands. They send huge remittance to their respective countries affecting Bangladesh economy. We have to create necessary skilled human resource in our own country to overcome this inadequacy. With this aim in view, BNP shall rapidly train up our unskilled labour force by introducing effective training courses and cater for their employment. This will strengthen our economy by stopping drainage of foreign currency. BNP shall take all administrative and institutional measures to create job oriented skilled human resource by arranging demand based vocational and technical training and necessary training in foreign language for the unskilled workers,’ she said.

Khaleda Zia said social, cultural, gender and economic obstacles shall be removed to create equal opportunity for education at all levels.

Khaleda Zia vows to balance PM’s power

Khaleda Zia promised to balance the Prime Minister's executive power through a constitutional amendment if her party returns to power.

The former prime minister made the remarks while unveiling her party's 256-point Vision-2030 at a crowded press conference at a capital Dhaka's hotel.

Mentioning that the existing constitutional order vests all the executive powers of the republic unilaterally in the hands of the Prime Minister, she said this system is completely inconsistent with the recognised form of parliamentary system.

"Experience of the recent time made the country's people to deeply realise that the monolithic executive authority of the Prime Minister has created an authoritarian dictatorship with a parliamentary façade. In order to bring an end to this situation, the executive power of the republic shall be balanced through appropriate constitutional amendment," said the BNP chief.

As part of the reforms of the constitutional arrangement, she said, it will be examined whether an upper house of the Parliament can be established keeping the existing unitary character and structure of the constitution intact.

Khaleda Zia on Wednesday said her party wants to turn Bangladesh into a modern and democratic high middle-income country by 2030 with per capita income of US$ 5000.

"BNP wants to transform Bangladesh by 2030 into a modern and democratic high-middle income country. Within this period, the per capita income shall be upgraded to US$5000," she said.

To achieve the goal, Khaleda Zia said, BNP will adopt creative and intelligent initiatives to boost the annual growth rate to a double-digit figure.

The BNP chief said her party wants to build a happy, prosperous, modern and self-respecting nation.

"BNP firmly believes that people should be there at the central stage of all national development. BNP has complied Vision 2030 to achieve the objectives of making Bangladesh a happy, prosperous, modern and self-respecting nation through uprooting the obstacles that thwart people's genius efforts into enthusiasm and initiative," she added.

Khaleda Zia further said, "BNP aims to build a tolerant human, peace-loving, people's welfare-oriented, social and economic justice-driven democratic and prosperous society ensuring participatory role of people belonging to all faiths, ethnic nationalities and upholding their thoughts, hopes and aspirations."

She said her party is committed to building a liberal democratic society wherein freedom of expression and rights of citizens upholding national interest shall be protected.

She promised that her party will repeal the Special Powers Act-1974.

Khaleda Zia said BNP wants to bring an end to political and social divisions in the country by uniting the spirit of Bangladeshi nationalism.

The ‘Vision 2030’ features 256 points under 37 sections including democracy, nation-building,  good governance, defence, foreign policy, moral rearmament, service delivery, social safety network, Liberation War, terrorism, extremism and militancy, economy and development, media and freedom of expression, ICT and local government.

Leaders of different political parties, diplomats, civil society members, editors of newspapers and news agencies, head of news of TV channels, intellectuals and other professionals, who were invited to attend the press conference, were present at the programme.

Earlier on Monday night, the 'Vision 2030' was presented before the BNP standing committee members at a meeting through a power-point presentation. The BNP policymakers approved it later incorporating their some suggestions.

Earlier, BNP chief Khaleda Zia, at the party sixth council on 19 March 2016, unveiled her parties Vision 2030 plan to turn the country into higher middle income one if her party returns to power.