Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called on Bangladeshis living at home and abroad to work together from their respective positions to ensure national development and public welfare, saying that all Bangladeshis would benefit if the country could be transformed into a developed nation.

“Our first plan is to do something good for the country. Whether we live at home or abroad, wherever we are, we should try to do anything that benefits the country and its people,” he said.

The prime minister made the remarks at an exchange of views with members of the Bangladeshi community in Japan at Hotel New Otani in Tokyo on Wednesday evening.

During the meeting, members of the Bangladeshi community raised questions about various issues and problems. In response, the prime minister outlined the government’s plans for education, healthcare, skills development and increasing Bangladeshi participation in Japan’s labour market.

His wife, Dr. Zubaida Rahman, was also present.

Announcing plans to introduce a third language, including Japanese, in schools, Tarique Rahman said the government was prioritising the strengthening of primary education to build a stronger education system.

He said the government planned to provide students with opportunities to learn a third language alongside English to expand their employment and higher education prospects.

“Opportunities will be created to learn Japanese, German, French and several other foreign languages. Students will be able to choose a language according to their preferences,” he said.

Noting that work on the plan had already begun, the prime minister expressed hope that foreign language instruction, including Japanese, would be introduced in schools from next year.

He added that proficiency in foreign languages, combined with skills in sports and cultural activities, would give students additional advantages in pursuing higher education and employment at home and abroad.

Responding to a question about cooperation with Japan in healthcare and technology, Tarique Rahman said improving the quality of healthcare was one of the government’s key priorities. Particular emphasis was being placed on ensuring access to essential medical services for ordinary people, women and children in rural areas.

He said upazila health complexes currently had 50 beds each, and the government planned to increase their capacity to 150 beds over the next five years.

The government also plans to introduce dialysis facilities at the upazila level and expand specialised healthcare services for women and children, he said.

The prime minister expressed hope that these initiatives would reduce the need for rural patients to travel to district or divisional cities for advanced treatment.

He noted that major hospitals across the country were facing excessive patient pressure. Strengthening healthcare services at the grassroots level would ease the burden on larger hospitals and make it easier to provide advanced treatment to critically ill patients, he added.

Plan to recruit 100,000 health workers
Announcing plans to recruit 100,000 health workers, Tarique Rahman said the government wanted to focus on preventive healthcare alongside treatment.

Under the proposed initiative, at least 80 per cent of the health workers would be women. They would visit households to raise awareness about healthy lifestyles, nutrition and the prevention of diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, he said.

The prime minister said encouraging people to adopt healthier lifestyles would help reduce the prevalence of diseases and ease pressure on the healthcare system.

Responding to a question about the language skills and employment prospects of Bangladeshis in Japan, he said developing a skilled workforce was essential to strengthening Bangladesh’s position in the Japanese labour market.

On the potential employment of expatriates proficient in Japanese, he said interested individuals would also need to come forward. He noted that a recruitment notice for Japanese-language teachers had received fewer applications than expected.

“Those among the expatriate community who are proficient in Japanese could contact the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment so that possible initiatives in this regard can be explored,” he said.

Tarique Rahman reiterated the need for collective efforts to strengthen the country’s economy, education system, healthcare services and workforce skills, urging everyone to contribute to public welfare from their respective positions.

The meeting was chaired by Japan BNP President Mir Rezaul Karim Reza and attended by party leaders and activists.

BSS