WB to provide Tk 790 crore for primary education

Bangladesh is set to receive a World Bank grant of nearly Taka 790 crore or US$100 million to ensure quality of primary education and check drop outs in primary schools.

"The grant will help scale up activities under our PEDP3 (third Primary Education Development Programme) to ensure inclusive and quality primary education in an equitable manner," additional secretary of the Economic Relations Division Kazi Shofiqul Azam said.

He added that the World Bank grant came as the government launched the third phase of the PED program to realize the government`s vision of `Education for all".

Azam`s comments came a week after he signed an agreement with World Bank`s Acting World Bank Country Head for Bangladesh Iffath Sharif at the ERD.

A World Bank spokesman, meanwhile, said the financial agreement was signed under the bank`s Global Partnership for Education (GPE) which was now on operation in 61 developing countries including Bangladesh.

"The GPE wants to ensure that every child receives a quality basic education, prioritizing the poorest, the most vulnerable and those living in fragile and conflict-affected countries," he said.

According to officials familiar with the process said the grant would help improve the primary education of its 19 million children through more than 100,000 kindergartens, primary public schools and schools run by civil society organizations.

They said currently over 97 percent children get them enrolled in primary schools but some 80 percent of them complete their primary education while the PEDP 3 would help strengthen the mainstream school systems.

"The World Bank has been a long standing partner of Bangladesh in the education sector. PEDP3 and its predecessor programmes have been designed to ensure that every primary school-age child in Bangladesh is able to come to school, receive quality education, and complete the primary school cycle," a World Bank statement earlier quoted Sharif earlier said.

He added: "Our $ 100 million grant will help strengthen Bangladesh`s education system and support the Government to ensure equal access and learning for all children and reduce the number of out-of-school children".