New initiatives aim to boost quality in primary schools
Staff Reporter :
The interim government has initiated an extensive programme of reforms and development aimed at enhancing the quality of primary education across Bangladesh, with the goal of providing inclusive education for all children and supporting sustainable national progress.
According to the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, efforts are underway in areas such as infrastructure expansion, teacher recruitment and training, digitalisation of administrative processes, textbook distribution, school feeding, and inclusive education initiatives.
Significant investments are being made to create a more supportive learning environment in government primary schools nationwide.
This year, construction is in progress for 16,247 additional classrooms, 15,144 wash blocks, 4,261 boundary walls, and 6,140 tube wells. In Dhaka Metropolitan and Purbachal areas, 30 new school buildings are nearing completion, while a ten-storey Leadership Training Centre has been inaugurated in Cox’s Bazar.
The 2025 teacher recruitment policy has been finalised, with notifications forthcoming for the appointment of 16,027 assistant teachers across general, physical education, and music categories. Additionally, 2,382 head teachers will be recruited from the BCS (non-cadre) pool. A new software-based gradation system is set to enhance transparency in promotions, subject to resolution of related legal matters.
Professional development remains a priority, with 7,115 teachers scheduled for training this fiscal year. A baseline survey will also be conducted to assess student learning outcomes.
The Primary Scholarship Examination has been reinstated for 2025, with 82,500 students set to receive scholarships – 33,000 from the talent pool and 49,500 in the general category. Annual stipends have been set at Tk 7,700 and Tk 5,900 respectively.
Furthermore, 11.4 million students will benefit from the stipend programme this year, with Tk 1,675.73 crore allocated, all payments being processed via electronic funds transfer (EFT). For the 2025 academic year, 90.2 million textbooks have been distributed nationwide, with plans to supply 82 million free books to 18.6 million students in 2026 at an estimated cost of Tk 622.76 crore.
To boost attendance and improve nutrition, a school feeding programme will launch in 150 upazilas this September, with plans to expand to the remaining 349 upazilas in subsequent phases.
The government is also preparing the five-year Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-5) to succeed PEDP-4.
Thirteen new projects are underway, including school rebuilding, establishing model schools, developing playgrounds, installing solar power, creating child-friendly classrooms, and expanding ICT facilities. Special focus is being given to education in tea garden areas.
One-year pre-service training will be introduced in ten Primary Teacher Training Institutes. Plans also include textbook reviews, assistive device policies, language training in Garo and Sadri, and inclusive education programmes benefiting 27,000 teachers. Instructional training in the mother tongues of ethnic communities will also be enhanced.
Development of pre-primary education features classroom decoration and teacher training. An allocation of Tk 25 crore has been made for education-in-emergency programmes, alongside Tk 800 crore to support school-based development plans for 65,357 schools.
The ICT initiative involves distributing 3,000 interactive whiteboards, upgrading digital content studios and servers, and improving the IPMS software system. Field officials and teachers will receive ICT training as part of this drive.
Under PEDP-4, a five-phase IQ testing programme will be conducted in partnership with Dhaka University’s Clinical Psychology Department, with the first two phases costing Tk 1 crore. Bengali pronunciation-based educational content is being developed in Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Sadri, and Garo languages.
The e-Monitoring app for school supervision is also slated for an upgrade. For the fiscal year 2025-26, the government has allocated Tk 35,403 crore to the primary and mass education sector.