Rajshahi achieves full enrollment in primary education

Around hundred per cent enrollment in district’s primary education has been achieved due to various programmes being implemented by the government in last nine and half years.

“We have been able to ensure 99.8 per cent enrollment in primary schools at present and hoped achieving the rest 0.2 per cent within the shortest possible time,” said district primary education officer Nafisha Begum.

In the district, education rate in primary level is 93.85 per cent and the number of primary students is 2, 89,698. In 2018, 1.447 million books were distributed among the students free of cost. More than 200,000 students get stipend and sub-stipend worth around Tk 168.2 million every year.

Since July last year, students of all primary schools located in City Corporation and municipality areas have been brought under the sub-stipend facilities for the first time.

Students from one-child families get monthly Tk 100, two-child families Tk 200, three-child families Tk 250 and four-child families Tk 300. In this year, 1,930 students obtained scholarship including 530 talent pool, 1,304 general and 96 supplementary.

Nafisha Begum said multimedia classrooms and computer laboratories were set up in 285 primary schools in the district. 829 teachers were imparted need-based training on ICT and 993 others were given training on autism and neuro development disorder.

The present government has adopted multidimensional steps to achieve cherished goal in education sector, she added, saying pre-primary classes have been launched in all schools for the age of under six babies. Each of the schools is given Tk 5,000 annually to facilitate babies to flourish their latent talents with developing their physical and mental growth.

That’s why, hundred per cent enrollment has been achieved and the rate of dropout has been reduced to a greater extent, she continued.

Department of Primary Education (DPE) has implemented various infrastructure development projects worth around Tk 5.402 billion in eight districts under Rajshahi division. Works of four major projects were completed at an estimated cost of Tk 4.1437 billion in the last five years.

Works of four others projects are ongoing with an estimated cost of Tk 1.2583 billion.

District education officer Laily Begum said the education rate in secondary and higher secondary level has also been developed comparatively.

She said currently the education ratio in the secondary level is 47.54 per cent. More than 512,000 secondary students get sub-stipend worth around Tk 713.49 million. In 2018, 334,000 students got around 4.6 million textbooks free of cost.

She added 61 Sheikh Russel Digital Laboratories were set up in various institutions and setting up of 19 other labs is under process as Bangladesh Computer Council established 215 ICT labs.

Meanwhile, 19 ICT Learning Centers and four ICT Training and Resource Centers for Education have been installed in Paba, Puthiya, Tanore and Bagmara Upazilas, reports BSS.

Laily Begum mentioned that the number of multimedia using upazila-based educational institutions is 706.