|| News Report: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to attend a daylong national-level “Startup, Science Project and Innovation Idea Showcasing” programme today at 2pm at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in the capital. The event will bring together secondary-level students and teachers from across the country to present innovative projects, scientific ideas, and startup concepts under the Educational Excellence Support Scheme (EESS) of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), Ministry of Education. According to an official handout, the Prime Minister will also distribute awards to meritorious teachers for their contribution to quality education, as well as to students for outstanding innovative ideas. The initiative aims to shift education from rote learning to a more creative, analytical, and skill-based approach, while nurturing entrepreneurship and problem-solving abilities among young learners. This year’s programme has been held under the central theme: “A Nation of Talent, Science, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation — Bangladesh Leads the Way.” A total of 100 top teams selected from district and metropolitan-level competitions will present their projects at the national showcase. Each team consists of three students and two teachers. The programme follows extensive participation at lower levels, including 8,029 teams at the upazila level and 546 teams at the district level. The upazila-level events were held across 521 education zones on June 12, while district-level showcases took place on June 14 in multiple venues, including BAF Shaheen College auditoriums. From the final selection, the top 10 teams will receive trophies, while awards will also be presented in two categories: “Meritorious Teacher in Quality Education” and “Meritorious Innovative Student Award.” Teachers will receive BDT 30,000 along with certificates, while students will be awarded BDT 20,000 and certificates. In addition to the innovation showcase, the Prime Minister is expected to inaugurate a nationwide tree plantation campaign involving 29,621 secondary educational institutions across the country. The initiative is part of a broader environmental and education-linked programme aimed at fostering climate awareness and sustainability among students. The government has set an ambitious target of planting 25 crore saplings within five years, alongside the “One Child, One Tree” initiative encouraging every student to plant at least one tree annually. Under the current programme, five crore trees are planned to be planted across school, college, and madrasa campuses over the next five years. This year, each institution will plant one fruit tree, one timber tree, and one medicinal tree. A climate awareness grant of BDT 5,000 has been allocated per institution to support implementation. The nationwide event will be broadcast live, enabling institutions across the country to participate through video conferencing. Teachers, students, parents, local representatives, and officials will join plantation activities simultaneously, with campuses directed to organize rallies and display awareness materials as part of the observance. The dual initiative — combining innovation promotion with environmental action — is expected to engage thousands of young learners in creativity, entrepreneurship, and sustainability efforts across Bangladesh.