Increase scholarships for officials

Foreign Minister Dipu Moni yesterday requested the secretary general of the Colombo Plan Secretariat to increase number of long-term scholarships for Bangladeshi officials.
She made the call when the visiting Secretary General of the Colombo Plan Secretariat Patricia Yoon-Moi Chia called on her at the ministry yesterday, said a press release.
Patricia is the 4th secretary general after the revitalisation of the organisation in 1977 and the 1st Asian female to assume this position.
Colombo Plan Secretariat is now working in five major areas, namely a) human resource development, b) skill development, c) South-south Cooperation, d) Socio-economic development in Asia and the Pacific and d) drug demand reduction in Asia and the Pacific, particularly in Afghanistan.
During the meeting, Patricia appreciated Bangladesh's achievement in these areas including in all sector of MDGs.
The secretariat imparted training to Bangladeshi officials under the Colombo Plan's training programmes and some 397 Bangladeshis have so far received training in different fields under this programme.
In case of long-term scholarships, the foreign minister mentioned that out of 97 scholarships, only two were awarded to Bangladeshis.
Dipu Moni mentioned that the government's priority areas are poverty alleviation, good governance, women empowerment, eradication of illiteracy, and thereby attaining the MDGs by 2015.