Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today told parliament that the government has taken decision for refining the curriculum of the primary education by 2019-20.

“The decision has been taken to refine the curriculum at the primary-level for introducing fresh educational activities in the primary schools,” she said replying to a starred question from Awami League MP Mohammad Shahiduzzaman (Meherpur-2).

The prime minister said the curriculum from pre-primary level to Class-V will be refined within 2019-20 and the textbooks, printed in line with the new curriculum, will be handed to the students in the next year.

She also mentioned different measures taken to make teachers of government educational institutes attentive to teaching in the classroom.

Hasina said the government has a plan to arrange seven-day foreign trips or oversees training for 7,000 primary school teachers including the best teachers at national, divisional, district and upazila levels.

Digital universities

In reply to a supplementary question from treasury bench lawmaker Dr Shamil Uddin Ahmed Shimul (Chapainawabganj-1), Hasina said, the government has a goal to establish a ‘digital university’ in every division by phases.

She said the government has already established a digital university --Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Digital University in Dhaka’s Gazipur.

'Oikyafront’s decision to boycott JS politically wrong'

Describing the BNP-led Jatiya Oikyafront’s (JOF) decision to boycott parliament as “politically wrong”, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today reiterated her call to them to join the Jatiya Sangsad (JS), reports BSS.

“There will be a call of mine to those who were elected parliament members that they will come to the Jatiya Sangsad and speak here … I expect it from them,” she said replying to a supplementary from Jatiya Party lawmaker Fakhrul Imam.

The Leader of the House said if they come to parliament they will get a scope to speak in the House.

This opportunity will only not be limited to the Jatiya Sangsad, she said, adding that the people could know their words as the parliamentary proceedings are directly broadcast through media including Sangsad Television.

The premier said those who got few seats after participating in the elections are not coming to parliament making huff. “I think they’ve taken a wrong decision politically,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the people are the owners of the vote, they will cast their vote as per their choice and have given it in this way.

While talking about her dialogue with political parties before the December 30 polls, Sheikh Hasina said: “We wanted that all will work unitedly to build Bangladesh. So before the election, I invited all political parties to a dialogue so that they take part in the elections.”

The prime minister said the talks were held later in a beautiful environment.

About her party’s landslide victory in the last general polls, the Leader of the House said the people have got the fruits of development that took place in the last 10 years of the Awami League government.

“As they got the fruits of uplift, they took a decision much earlier that will cast vote for boat and they’ve given that vote to us,” she said.

The prime minister expressed her determination to build Bangladesh as the most developed, prosperous and peaceful country in South Asia.

“As long as I will remain alive, I will continue work for the continued development and progress of the country Insha Allah,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh as an independent and self-dignified country will maintain good relations with other countries of the world in the days to come.

The premier said Awami League government’s unprecedented success in different indexes of socioeconomic development for 10 years has established Bangladesh as a role model of development in the world.

“This has been possible due to our people-friendly policy and implementation of the programmes as well as hard labour and cooperation of the people … for it I extend my sincere thanks to the countrymen,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina informed the House that heads of state and government as well as chiefs of different international bodies totalling 97 countries and organisations extended their heartfelt congratulations to her on securing absolute majority by the Awami League in the December 30 elections and being elected the prime minister for the fourth time.

The High Court yesterday rejected a writ petition that had challenged the legality of oath taking of the lawmakers elected in the December 30 polls.

A HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal passed the order considering that petition was not filed properly.

After the order, lawmakers elected in the 11th parliamentary polls have no bar to perform their duties, said Attorney General Mahbubey Alam.

Also read: HC order on petition against oath-taking of MPs today

On January 14, advocate Taherul Islam Tawhid filed the petition praying for a rule on the Election Commission and the government to explain why the oath taking should not be declared illegal.

The lawyer also sought necessary HC orders on the authorities concerned to prevent the new lawmakers from discharging their functions.

Meanwhile, petitioner's lawyer barrister AM Mahbubey Alam told The Daily Star that they would file a fresh writ petition with the HC challenging the same issue.

The tenure of the 10th parliament will expire on January 28 and new lawmakers will take charge on January 30.

Amid widespread outcry over safe water, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Estimate today recommended to split the Dhaka Wasa into two parts to ensure supply of safe and drinkable water for the city dwellers.

Their recommendation came in a meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat in Dhaka this afternoon.

The committee in its recommendation, called upon the respective ministry to divide the Dhaka Wasa into two parts --Dhaka north and south Wasa—like that of the Dhaka north and south city corporations.

The committee also expressed dissatisfaction as Managing Director of Dhaka Wasa Taqsem A Khan as he did not attend the meeting though he was supposed to present at the meeting.

The similar resentment was also expressed during the meeting as the committee did not find any progress of the development projects undertaken by the public health and engineering department and the Dhaka Wasa.

The public health and engineering department has been asked to inform the committee by the next two months about the progress of the projects undertaken by the department.

The Election Commission (EC) today sent a letter to the parliament secretary for taking necessary preparation to organise the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected lawmakers of the 11th general election.

EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed said this while talking to reporters at the EC office today.

The MP-elect will take oath at the oathroom of the parliament at 11:00am tomorrow, sources at the Parliament Secretariat confirmed.

Yesterday, the commission published the gazette with details of 298 MPs with the EC’s approval.

According to the article 148 (2A) of the Constitution, the newly elected members of parliament will be obliged to take oath within three days after the publication of election results through official gazette, or else their memberships will cease to exit.

The new cabinet may take oath on Sunday.

In the December 30 parliamentary election, the AL-led Grand Alliance won 288 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad against the BNP-led Oikyafront's seven. 

Three independent candidates also became victorious.

The election in Brahmanbaria-2 was suspended as voting at three polling centres was suspended over violence. Polling in those centres will be held on January 9.

Polls in Gaibanda-3 were rescheduled for January 27 following the death of a candidate.  

In the first parliament 45 years ago, none of the parties was recognised as official opposition due to their poor strength in the House.

The resounding victory of ruling Awami League-led alliance in Sunday's polls has diminished the scope for emergence of an official opposition in the new parliament.

The AL-led alliance together grabbed 288 seats out of 298 with the ruling party alone bagging 259 seats. The BNP-led alliance managed to secure only seven seats. [Election to Gaibandha-3 was rescheduled to January 27 following the death of a candidate and re-polling will take place in three centres in Brahmanbaria-2 on January 9.]

Against this backdrop, Jatiya Party may sit on the opposition bench in the new parliament to be formed with MPs-elect swearing in tomorrow.

The JP, a key component of the AL-led grand electoral alliance, emerged as the second largest party by obtaining 20 seats.

It needs at least five more to get official recognition as the opposition, according to the verbal directive given by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman during a debate in the first parliament on April 12, 1973.

In the first parliamentary election held in 1973, the AL won 293 seats. The opposition parties -- Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesh Jatiya League, National Awami Party and others obtained only seven seats.

They extended their support to Jatiya League leader Ataur Rahman Khan and demanded that he be recognised as the leader of the   opposition.   

During the debate over recognition as opposition, Bangabandhu said a party could not be recognised as opposition if it did not have at least 25 MPs.

If any group has less than 25 MPs and at least 10 MPs, it can be termed a parliamentary group, not a parliamentary party, said Bangabandhu.

"The speech delivered by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the only directive," wrote Khandaker Abdul Haq in his book "Parliamentary Practice and Procedure" published by the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat in 2001.

"His directive has been derived from experiences of the Pakistan National Assembly and East Pakistan Provincial Assembly and it is consistent with the parliamentary culture of India and this sub-continent," wrote Haq, who was a senior official at the Parliament Secretariat.

If Bangabandhu's directive is taken into consideration, JP would need five more seats to qualify to become the opposition party in the new parliament. If JP is not the official opposition, none of its MPs could be the leader of the opposition.

The JP became the main opposition in the current parliament formed through the 2014 election, which the BNP-led alliance boycotted. It won 34 seats and its senior leader Raushan Ershad was recognised as the leader of the opposition with a status of a minister. Three JP MPs were also made ministers.

Their dual role has been criticised. The party could not play its due role as the main opposition in parliament in the last five years.

JP Secretary General Mashiur Rahman Ranga yesterday said his party would hold a joint meeting of the party's presidium members and MPs-elect today to decide whether it would join the government or sit on the opposition bench.

"We will also discuss it with the grand alliance," he said at a discussion at the party's Banani office.