The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) are set to provide US$350 million to support a wide-ranging education reform programme in Bangladesh.
The "NextGen Education Programme" aims at improving learning outcomes, expanding digital education and strengthening institutional capacity.
Of the total assistance, Bangladesh will receive a US$300 million concessional loan from the ADB and a US$50 million grant from the GPE, according to sources at the Economic Relations Division (ERD).
Officials said an ADB fact-finding mission recently completed discussions with the ERD, the Planning Commission and the implementing agencies to finalise the programme framework and prepare for loan negotiations.
The mission, held from July 20 to 23, focused on finalising the programme's scope, financing arrangements, performance indicators, implementation mechanisms, and technical, financial, environmental and social safeguard requirements.
The programme will be implemented through three separate projects under the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, the Secondary and Higher Education Division (SHED), and the Technical and Madrasah Education Division (TMED) by December 2030.
Earlier, SHED, TMED and the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) submitted three separate Development Project Proposals (DPPs) to the Planning Commission, involving a combined estimated cost of Tk55.13 billion.
The government will provide Tk12.72 billion from its own resources, while the remaining Tk42.41 billion will come as project assistance from the development partners, according to the project documents.
However, the Socio-Economic Infrastructure Division of the Planning Commission has returned the proposals with a number of recommendations and requested revisions, sources confirmed.
Under the proposed financing structure, US$220 million of the ADB loan will be allocated to secondary and higher education, while the remaining US$80 million will support technical and madrasah education.
The US$50 million GPE grant will support primary, secondary and technical education. Of the total grant, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education will receive US$22 million, while SHED and TMED will each receive US$14 million.
The programme will follow the Results-Based Lending (RBL) modality, under which fund disbursement will be linked to the achievement of specific Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs).
According to the project proposal, the initiative aims to modernise Bangladesh's education system through digital transformation, improved learning outcomes, teacher development, infrastructure expansion and institutional reforms.
The programme will expand technology-enabled and blended learning, develop curriculum-aligned digital content, and strengthen assessment systems through improved classroom-based evaluation methods.
It will also enhance education monitoring and management systems and strengthen the institutional capacity of key agencies, including the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), Directorate of Technical Education, Directorate of Madrasah Education, National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), and the Education Engineering Department.
The government has set an accelerated timeline for completing the approval process. According to ERD documents, the revised DPPs were scheduled to be resubmitted to the Planning Commission on 10 July 2026.
The Planning Commission is expected to complete the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) meetings and issue its observations by the end of July. The final revised DPPs are scheduled to be submitted by 15 August, while approval by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) is targeted by the end of August.
Formal loan negotiations with the ADB are expected to begin on 15 September 2026, followed by ADB Board approval and loan signing in the second half of the year.
The ADB delegation was led by Smita Gyawali, Education Specialist and Mission Leader, while Faiza Ahad, Project Officer, served as the mission's co-leader.
The delegation also included specialists in procurement, legal affairs, climate change, gender equality, social development and environmental safeguards.
Officials said the "NextGen Education Programme" is expected to become a landmark reform initiative for Bangladesh's education sector by linking development financing to measurable improvements in learning quality, institutional efficiency and skills development.
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