Bangladesh has progressed in the education sector over the years, and yet a large number of children are still out of schools, said education experts at a conference in the capital’s Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, yesterday.
Speaking at the second annual conference of the SHARE Education Programme, the experts stressed on bringing hardest-to-reach children to schools.
They agreed that effective implementation of second-chance education could help bring hardest-to-reach children to schools.
Fazle Rabbani, education adviser of DFID, said non-formal education should be a priority in order to bring education to these children. He also put emphasis on ensuring quality in non-formal education.
Sharing his experience in Bangladesh, James Jennings, regional education adviser of AusAID, said there had been much progress in the education sector since he came to Bangladesh 40 years ago.
There should be efforts from every section until all children are attending school, he said.
EU Ambassador to Bangladesh William Hanna said the European Union has been supporting the education sector in Bangladesh for over two decades. “Education is one of our priority areas and we will continue supporting Bangladesh’s education sector,” he said.
Manzoor Ahmed, senior adviser of the Institute of Education Development at Brac University, also stressed on the importance of overall non-formal education, adding that adult literacy should be a priority as well.
He said local government bodies should be involved in extending non-formal education to the greater population.
Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director of the Campaign for Popular Education, said special programmes are needed to bring hardest-to-reach children to schools.
Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman said the ministry is working to bring hardest-to-reach children to schools, taking up some programmes, and will continue to do it.
SHARE is a primary education programme funded by the Eurpoean Union, providing basic education opportunities to hardest-to-reach children and their parents and guardians in 219 upazilas and thanas under 47 districts in the country.