Tuesday, May 07, 2024
Grameenphone (GP), the leading mobile telecom operator in Bangladesh, has been collaborating with Bishwo Shahitto Kendro (BSK) to sponsor the metropolitan-centred prize-giving ceremony of the National Enrichment Programme (Book Reading Programme).
In this regard, a signing ceremony was held between GP and BSK at GPHouse on Sunday, according to a press release.
On behalf of the BSK, Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, and on behalf of Grameenphone, its CEO Yasir Azman signed the agreement.
Grameenphone will give books as prizes to the winners at the award giving ceremonies which will be held in the five major cities-- Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Barisal.
The prize-giving ceremony in Chattogram Metropolitan City will begin on May 4 followed by Barisal on May 10, Dhaka on May 17-18, Rajshahi on May 25, and finally, Khulna on May 31 in a sequential manner.
Around 16,000 students from grades six to ten from different schools will receive the awards in the sagoto, suvecha, obhinandon and best reader category at the prize-giving ceremony of the five cities.
Bishwo Shahitto Kendro has been conducting various excellence programmes aimed at nurturing enlightened people across the country for students from schools, colleges, and universities for the past 45 years.
The National Enrichment Programme stands out as the most noteworthy.
Under this programme, approximately 200,000 students from around 1,700 educational institutions across the country currently take part in the Book Reading Programme every year.
Expressing gratitude to Grameenphone for their continuous collaboration since 2004, the Founder and Chairman of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, at the signing ceremony said, “As a result of this collaboration, the reach of the country-based excellence program (Book Reading Programme) has expanded, and there has been a significant increase in students' interest in reading."
"Grameenphone's philanthropic image has also improved among people. We hope that this collaboration will continue seamlessly in the future,” he added.
Yasir Azman, chief executive officer (CEO) of Grameenphone, said "Along with business activities, Grameenphone is working on Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) for the benefit of the society.
"Enhancing the skills of the youth is one of our primary goals. Meanwhile, Bishwo Shahitto Kendro is playing a pivotal role in fostering the habit of reading and building a thoughtful society," he added.
"Today's [Sunday] agreement signing is part of that initiative, with which Grameenphone has been associated for the past 20 years. We are proud to be associated with such an initiative,” he further added.
