Govt to offer free undergraduate education for girls, PM announces

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has declared that female students will soon receive free education up to the undergraduate and degree levels, expanding the government’s efforts to promote women’s empowerment through education.

The announcement came on Monday during a public rally at the Jashore Eidgah ground, where Tarique addressed party supporters and outlined his administration’s policy priorities.

He recalled that former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia introduced free secondary education for girls between 1991 and 1996, and later extended the benefit to higher secondary level during her 2001�"2006 tenure. 

Tarique said the new decision aims to complete what he described as her unfinished agenda by removing tuition fees for female students pursuing undergraduate and degree qualifications.

The prime minister framed the move as part of a broader strategy to strengthen women’s participation in national development. He also said the government plans to gradually widen the reach of the Family Card welfare scheme to support more households across the country.

In addition, Tarique announced a new initiative to provide LPG gas cards for women, designed to ease the burden of cooking fuel costs. The scheme will be rolled out in phases, he said.

Turning to economic measures, the prime minister promised that several factories that had shut down in recent years would resume operations within the coming months, creating new employment opportunities.

Tarique used the rally to criticise his political opponents, accusing some of hypocrisy and secret dealings with authoritarian forces while publicly attacking the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. He urged citizens to remain alert against what he described as efforts to mislead the public, drawing parallels with past political episodes.

Reiterating his government’s commitment to stability, the prime minister said prolonged general strikes that disrupt daily life would not be tolerated. Referring to a previous period marked by 173 days of hartal, he said such disruptions had harmed the country and would not be allowed to happen again.