Bangladesh has registered 3.84 million persons with disabilities in 12 official categories, senior government officials said at a national event on inclusive education and disability services.
Some 3.45 million of these persons are currently receiving allowances as beneficiaries, while 81,000 school-children are being supported through scholarships, said Md Saidur Rahman Khan, director general (DG) of the Department of Social Services (DSS).
He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 'Shikhbe Shobai' (Everyone Will Learn) Project, held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre on Thursday. The programme reviewed progress in inclusive education and outlined priorities for maintaining momentum.
The DSS DG noted that without wider involvement, many schools would continue to fall short of meeting the needs of children with disabilities.
He pointed to 64 visual i-centres operating in the districts and skills-based initiatives, such as handicrafts training, as part of efforts to expand economic opportunities.
Abu Noor Md Shamsuzzaman, DG of the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), said the government is planning to bring 10 million children under a nationwide school feeding programme, five days a week, to enhance attendance and retention.
Shona Moni Chakma, director of programmes at the Jatiyo Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation (JPUF) under the Ministry of Social Welfare, said the country now has 54 dedicated schools and 12 specially equipped institutions, although many mainstream schools remain inaccessible to disabled persons.
Martin Dawson, development counsellor and deputy development director at the British High Commission in Dhaka, said too many school-age children with disabilities are still out of the classroom, representing "thousands of dreams on hold". The project aimed to shift this reality.
Amrita Rejina Rozario, country director of the Sightsavers Bangladesh, said the initiative showed that when communities, schools, and policymakers work together, longstanding barriers to education can be dismantled.
Hamish Higginson, global technical lead for inclusive education at the Sightsavers, opined that the project improved the capacity of education actors, supported teachers' innovation, strengthened OPDs, and built community trust in the education system.
The UK-funded project has been implemented since April 2022 by a consortium, led by the Sightsavers with ADD International and Sense International, and in collaboration with the DPE. It has made notable improvements in the government primary schools in three upazilas of Narsingdi and Sirajganj.
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