An estimated 1 million children who dropped out of school, will get a second chance at getting an education in six districts under a government sponsored project starting January, 2020.
To this effect, the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) approved a project involving Tk297.56 crore yesterday.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal chaired the CCGP meeting held at the Secretariat.
After the meeting, the finance minister told reporters that the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education will implement the project under its Primary Education Development Program (PEDP-4).
Institute of Education and Research (IER) of the University of Dhaka, and four non-government organizations -- RDRS, Brac, FIVDB, and Jagarani Chakra Foundation – have been selected to implement this project.
The service providers described as Implementation Support Agency (ISA), were assigned to develop a guideline, manual, curriculum and modules for teaching school dropouts and any others who never attended school.
They would also provide services for technical assistance, human resource recruitment at the field level, and training for teachers.
Md Akram-Al-Hossain, secretary for primary and mass education, said the education program has been designed for up to class 5 students.
He said the project, initially being run on a small-scale for 100,000 or one lakh students since 2017, would continue for a remaining 900,000 or nine lakh students starting January 2020.
Children ages 8 to 14 are entitled to avail the education, said Tapan Kumar Ghosh, director general of the Bureau of Non-formal Education.
Talking to Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday, Tapan Kumar said the project would give 1 million children a second chance at schooling in six districts: Dhaka, Chittagong, Gaibandha, Kishoreganj, Sylhet, and Sunamganj.
He said the schooling for dropout children will be managed at temporary schools to be set up in rented facilities.
He said NGOs will conduct the teaching of students.
He said an upazila non-formal education committee, headed by an Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), is expected to oversee and monitor this education.
“The committee is also tasked with the responsibility to select students for teaching under this project,” he added.
