Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said that politicising education, research, and arts and literature can never be considered a symbol of a civilized society.
He said this while presenting the Ekushey Padak 2026 to eminent personalities at a ceremony at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka on Thursday.
PM Tarique said, “The more accomplished individuals a state and society produce, the more enlightened that society becomes. For its own needs, the state therefore honours the wise and the accomplished.”
He added, “It was with this realisation that Ziaur Rahman introduced the Ekushey Padak. Through this award, society recognises those distinguished individuals who have illuminated the nation and society.”
He assured that a democratic government will always work to ensure Bangladesh advances in all branches of education and knowledge, adding “In this journey, the guidance of the country’s eminent personalities is certainly expected.”
Although politicians are entrusted with the responsibility of running the state, he said that as a political worker he believed that learned and distinguished individuals play a guiding role, BSS reported.
Noting that the Ekushey Padak is not merely a medal, Tarique said through this award, from the 1952 Language Movement to the present, the historical events of Bangladesh are remembered.
At the same time, it introduces the general public to those distinguished individuals who have enriched themselves, the state and society through education, literature, arts, research and practice, he added.
