He said these things in his speech as chief guest at an event presenting research findings on the effectiveness of school-level development plans, jointly organized by the Directorate of Primary Education, PPRC and UNICEF at the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro auditorium in Dhaka on Tuesday (September 15).
Education
Not ‘Equality’ in Scholarships and Stipends, but Priority Based on Need: State Minister Bobby Hajjaj
The state minister said that assisting all students equally does not ensure true fairness. Giving more importance to those who need more is true fairness. For children from poor and disadvantaged families, even a small amount of financial support can play an important role in school attendance and continuing education.
He said that in scholarship and stipend policy, it is necessary to take into account the family’s financial capacity, the child’s social and economic risk, and the likelihood of dropping out of education. Although there is free education in government primary schools, if a financially capable family sends their child to a private institution, the need for government financial support for them could be reconsidered.
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On the other hand, Bobby Hajjaj remarked that children from families struggling to bear the cost of their children’s education should be given the highest priority. He mentioned it as a responsibility to deliver the government’s limited resources to the children who need them most.
The state minister said the government’s goal is not only to ensure children’s enrollment in school; it is also urgent to ensure that no child drops out of education due to poverty, financial crisis or any other reason. For this, there is a need to make various support programs, including scholarships, stipends, educational materials and school feeding, more integrated and targeted.
He also emphasized teaching primary students to swim. Bobby Hajjaj said that initiatives are being taken to integrate swimming into primary education as part of life skills and safety, not just as sports.
At the event, UNICEF education specialist Joy Milan Maler, PPRC Executive Chairman Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Chief of Education Section, UNICEF Bangladesh Deepa Shankar, and Executive Director of Campaign for Popular Education Rasheda K. Choudhury spoke. Besides, officials from the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education and the Directorate of Primary Education were present.