Dhaka, Broadcasting News Corporation: Professor Dr. Bidhyan Ranjan Roy Poddar, Advisor for Primary and Mass Education, stated that the quality of higher education can never be improved without enhancing the quality of primary education. He said that the foundation of sustainable development in a country is creating a knowledgeable, skilled, and disciplined workforce. That workforce is built on the strong foundation of primary education.

On Saturday (January 24, 2026), in a speech as the chief guest at a discussion organized by the Greater Mymensingh Cultural Forum at a hotel in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, on the occasion of the publication festival of the book titled ‘The History of the Establishment of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam University,’ the Advisor made these remarks.

The Advisor said that a university is not a place to be confined to fragmented or limited subjects. Opposing the concept of specialized universities, he said that a full-fledged university should be a repository of all kinds of knowledge. National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam University will truly become meaningful only when multidimensional knowledge and research are established there.
The Advisor on Primary and Mass Education said that Mymensingh, especially Trishal, is deeply connected with the life and memories of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. Kazi Nazrul Islam is an inseparable part of our national and state consciousness. Even though society was divided along religious lines at the time of the partition, Nazrul’s secular and humanitarian ideals were never divided. Dr. Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar said that through the Liberation War, we transitioned from a religion-based state concept to a nation-state, through which Nazrul’s ideals have triumphed. A nation-state must be based on commitment and rights, and all citizens should enjoy equal opportunities and dignity there. We must also remain vigilant in protecting the rights and existence of the minority ethnic groups within independent Bangladesh. The advisor further mentioned that although poet Nazrul Islam has been given the status of national poet, institutional research and practice on his literature, poetry, songs, and philosophy are still insufficient. He emphasized strengthening Nazrul research.