Staff Reporter, Dhaka : The closing ceremony of the 4th edition of the ‘IPDC Priyo Shikkhok Shommanona’ awards was held recently. At a captivating event held at the Celebrity Hall of the capital’s Bangabandhu International Conference Center, 9 distinguished and beloved teachers of the country were honored as ‘Priyo Shikkhok’.

The event was inaugurated on 5 October 2022 and since then till the deadline a total of 1,779 teachers were nominated via online and offline submission. 201 teachers at the primary level and 1,578 teachers at the secondary level have received nominations for this honor. From these nominations, 9 teachers were selected by a Jury Panel to be recognized as ‘Priyo Shikkhok’ in the 2022 Priyo Shikkhok Finale. The recognized teachers are: Nurul Islam, Senior Teacher of Eidgah Adarsha Shiksha Niketon, Cox’s Bazar; Md. Touhidul Islam Sarkar, Senior Teacher of Lalmonirhat Government Girls High School; Zahurul Haque Chowdhury, Former Head Teacher of Taluk Jamira BL High School, Gaibandha; Jannat Ara Begum, Senior Assistant Teacher of Mostafa Begum Government Primary School, Chittagong; Md. Fazlur Rahman, Head Teacher of Eidgah Girls’ High School, Dinajpur; Fauzia Haque Beethi, Assistant Teacher, Belkuchi Government Primary School, Bogra; Deepak Ranjan Das, Principal, Dasher Bazar High School, Moulvibazar; Dilruba Khatun, Head Teacher of Dhadash Government Primary School, Rajshahi; Dipendra Chandra Bhattacharya, Former Senior Teacher of Victoria High School, Moulvibazar.

Present as the chief guest on the event was Shamsul Alam, State Minister of Planning Ministry of Bangladesh. In addition, the vice chancellors of multiple top-notch Universities in Dhaka were present, alongside high-ranking teachers from various schools, colleges, universities. Mominul Islam, Managing Director and CEO of IPDC, among other senior officials of the organization, also participated in the program.

The Chief Guest, Shamsul Alam, State Minister of Planning Ministry of Bangladesh said, “Teachers are the key artisans of nation building. To reach Bangladesh to the status of a developed country by 2041, and establish a respectable place for her on global stage, we are diligently working towards the improvement of our education sector, and teachers are at the frontline of this endeavor. However, it is also our responsibility to ensure that our teachers receive the respect, recognition, and dignity that they deserve. I extend my heartiest gratitude to IPDC for taking such a wonderful initiative to fulfill that responsibility.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mominul Islam, Managing Director and CEO of IPDC Finance Limited said, “The role of teachers in shaping our lives, in building the nation, and making Bangladesh a developed country is undeniable, and they cannot be repaid in any way. Through this humble endeavor, we are honored to recognize our beloved teachers across the country. If we follow this sacrifice of our beloved teachers and shape our lives, we will succeed in building a humane, creative and economically prosperous country.”

Matiur Rahman, Editor of Prothom Alo said, “A teacher plays a unique role in the formation of society, state and country, beyond his teaching. We are proud to honor these achievers. They are not only our favorite teachers, but our favorite personalities. Together with IPDC, we will continue this initiative in the future and work together with teachers to ensure the welfare, prosperity, success and victory of Bangladesh.”

An inspirational teacher enlightens students on the power and importance of education, both through memorable lessons as well as inspiring their desire to discover more. However, some teachers occupy an unforgettable space in our minds, throughout our lives. This initiative, first arranged in 2019, aims to establish a stronger and more honorific societal perception of primary and secondary level school teachers and their contribution to society. In continuation of the success of the first three seasons, IPDC and Prothom Alo jointly organized the Priyo Shikkhok Shommanona award for the 4th time.