Parliament on Tuesday was informed that the government has been running a range of programmes, including seminars, workshops, science fairs, quiz contests and olympiads, to build a science-minded society and encourage students to take a greater interest in scientific pursuits.
Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam said this while responding to a question from Jamaat-e-Islami MP Md Moktar Ali of Jashore-6, who asked what steps the ministry had taken to foster a science-minded society and boost students' enthusiasm for science, as well as what initiatives had been introduced to bring students in remote parts of the country under the umbrella of science education and technological facilities.
In a starred written reply, the minister said the ministry also provides grants to private secondary and higher secondary institutions in remote areas, alongside offering National Science and Technology (NST) fellowships to students and researchers pursuing MS, MPhil, PhD and postdoctoral studies in science and technology-related fields.
He told the House that 4,282 researchers received a total of Tk 25, 45, 27,200 (25 crore 45 lakh) under the NST fellowship programme in the 2025-26 financial year, while an allocation of Tk25.14 crore has been set aside for the same programme in the current 2026-27 fiscal year.
He added that, with the aim of building a science-minded nation, the ministry also organises seminars, workshops and exhibitions at the upazila level on the application and dissemination of locally developed appropriate technologies.
On measures for remote students, the minister said the National Science and Technology Museum operates mobile science exhibitions through museum buses, movie buses and observatory buses to bring science education and technological facilities to students in remote areas, alongside telescope-based space observation activities.
He further said the ministry had disbursed Tk3.97 crore in research and development (R&D) grants to 358 scientists and researchers to encourage science-based higher education and research and to improve the standard of scientific research and innovation.
Additionally, 30 science-based organisations and institutions received a total of Tk30 lakh in grants during the 2025-26 financial year to support their activities, development work, journal publications and seminars, symposiums, workshops and exhibitions.
Responding further, the minister said the ministry organises science fairs and quiz competitions at district and upazila levels, and officials have visited several universities where students showcased innovative ideas, which the ministry is working to encourage.
He said the government's Tk500 crore start-up fund would be used to help finance young innovators who bring forward such ideas, adding that the quiz competitions for schoolchildren were part of efforts to identify talent.
Raising a supplementary question, Jamaat-e-Islami MP Md Rashedul Islam Rashed of Sherpur-1 said he had a distressing experience during a visit to a school, where he found that laboratories in various schools and madrasas across the country were equipped with instruments and materials, but there appeared to be no clear policy on their proper use and maintenance.
He cited an instance where litmus paper, used for testing the acidity or alkalinity of solutions, was found being used as a bookmark.
He asked the minister to clarify which authority is responsible for the upkeep of such equipment — the Ministry of Science and Technology or the Ministry of Education.
In response, the minister acknowledged the lapse, saying he was hearing about the specific litmus paper incident for the first time. He said his ministry would look into the state of neglect of science laboratory equipment in schools and colleges and assured the House that the matter would be investigated.