Free education for women up to honours: PM

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced that the government will provide free education for women up to the honours level.

He made the announcement on Sunday afternoon while releasing fish fry into the old Brahmaputra River, distributing fish fry among local fishermen and exchanging greetings with locals at the Mirzapur Chairman Barighat area in Pakundia upazila, Kishoreganj, on the occasion of National Fisheries Week-2026.

The Prime Minister said that when BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was in power, she made education free for women up to the intermediate level. Women constitute half of the country's population, and if they are left behind, the country cannot move forward. For this reason, the current government has decided to make education free for women up to honours, with all expenses borne by the government.

He said there are many sisters and young girls here, and they must study attentively so that they can take the reins of the country when they grow up. Additionally, the government will provide stipends for girls who perform well academically.

He also said the government aims to provide school dresses once a year to children from poor families in thousands of primary schools across villages. Not just school dresses, but school bags for around 1.20 crore children — alongside new books each year.

On making women self-reliant, he said the government wants to advance women both in education and in economic empowerment. The Family Card initiative, promised before the elections, has already begun, with the goal of reaching every household in the next five years.

On fish fry release, the Prime Minister said the benefits of the fish released today would go to the people of Bangladesh, not to those in London or Japan, as the fish would grow, spawn and spread across canals and wetlands.

The event was attended by Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, State Minister Sultan Salauddin Tuku, Textiles and Jute State Minister and Kishoreganj district BNP president Md Shariful Alam, fishermen and other dignitaries.