Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman on Sunday urged students to develop themselves into competent, skilled and responsible citizens as he hosted a lunch for students, teachers and visitors at Parliament.

The lunch was held at the VIP Cafeteria of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

The guests included 29 law students from the Canadian University of Bangladesh, 21 underprivileged students and teachers brought by Suravi, a partner organisation of the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), and 16 students and teachers associated with the Tejgaon College Debating Society.

During the programme, the Prime Minister exchanged views with the students and enquired after their studies.

He advised them to give equal importance to sports alongside their studies and encouraged them to develop themselves into competent, skilled and responsible citizens.

"The present generation is the future of the country. You must prepare yourselves to build a developed and prosperous Bangladesh," Tarique Rahman told the students.

The students and teachers thanked the Prime Minister for hosting the lunch.

Earlier, as part of their visit to Parliament, they learned about the activities of the Parliament Secretariat, visited the Parliament Library, took part in a photo session at the North Plaza and observed the proceedings of the House from the visitors' gallery.