The social welfare minister, Professor Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, said that the government’s goal is to develop persons with disabilities into productive members of society through education, skills development, and rehabilitation. “We want to empower them and bring them into the mainstream of society. If this population can be made productive, they can become valuable human resources for the country,” he said.

He made the remarks while speaking to journalists on Wednesday, after an inspection visit and exchange meeting at the National Foundation for the Development of the Disabled Persons in Mirpur-14, Dhaka.

The minister said that the visit was part of the ministry’s regular activities and wasn’t organised for any special or political purpose. “We have several institutions under the social welfare ministry, and the National Foundation for the Development of the Disabled Persons is one of the most important among them,” he said.

He added that the foundation operates a college to ensure quality education for persons with disabilities. Separate schools are being run for children and adolescents with hearing impairments, visual impairments, autism, and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Residential facilities are also available for both male and female students.

“Our objective is to help persons with disabilities become productive members of society through education and skills development,” he said. “As part of the rehabilitation process, we assist them in securing employment and help create job opportunities in various institutions. This is an integrated complex designed to ensure that persons with disabilities aren’t isolated from society but are instead able to participate in an inclusive social system. The government has been working toward this goal for many years.”

He further said that the government, under the leadership of Tarique Rahman, currently has the opportunity to serve the country. “Our electoral commitment was to build Bangladesh together with those who have been left behind. Through education, services, and management for persons with disabilities, we must establish a humane and inclusive Bangladesh. We’re working to fulfil that commitment,” he said.

The minister said that Bangladesh is home to approximately 14 to 16 million persons with disabilities, according to various estimates. To serve this large population, the government currently operates 103 service centres at the district and upazila levels. But the goal is to extend disability services to every upazila across the country.

Some individuals require speech therapy, others need language therapy, while some require physiotherapy, he further said. “We’re working to expand these services further. If this population can’t be developed into a productive and employable workforce, they’ll remain dependent on society. But if they can be empowered through education, skills development, and training, they can become valuable human resources for the country. That’s our primary objective,” he said.

Dr AZM Zahid Hossain said that one of the most important priorities in the coming days is the social safety net programme. “You’ve already learned about some of the issues following the ADC meeting. Social protection programmes, including those under the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, are the number one priority of our government. This is also one of our key electoral commitments,” he said.

He added, “Please wait until tomorrow for details regarding the budget. Inshallah, the matter will become clear after 2:30 pm tomorrow. But I can assure you that the budget to be presented under the leadership of the prime minister, with the objectives of public welfare, building a humane Bangladesh, and transforming people into productive human resources, may not fulfil one hundred percent of public expectations, but it’ll meet a significant portion of them. It’ll provide reassurance to the people.”