At least one-fifth of the primary students are dropping out of school and the government is having difficulties to lower the drop-out rate.
Speaking at parliament yesterday, Primary and Mass Education Minister Mustafizur Rahman said the government has not been able to stop the trend despite adopting a number of measures.
Replying to a question, the minister said the current dropout rate in the country’s primary schools is 20.9%, while enrolment rate is 97.7%.
He further said a task force had been formed to work in ward level in order to ensure 100% enrolment in primary school.
The government has taken various steps including mobilising meeting, yard meeting, home visit, enrolment in Ananda School under Reaching Out of School project and banning physical and mental torment of students in school, the minister said.
On a different note, Mustafizur Rahman said the schools in the former exclave areas that were privately run would not be nationalised.
“There were 7,500 school-going children in the exclave areas, among whom 6,500 have already taken admission in Bangladeshi schools. We are planning to establish schoold for the remaining 1,000 children,” he said.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid told parliament that stopping question leak is a matter of life and death for the government.
“The printing system for question papers has changed. It is not possible for anyone, even the secretary at the ministry or the board chairman, to leak the questions,” he said.