$130.7 million IDA loan to improve secondary edn
FE Report | Friday, 15 August 2008
The government Thursday signed a credit agreement worth US$130.7 million with the International Development Association (IDA) to improve the quality and performance of secondary education and to ensure greater accountability at school level.
Mohammad Mejbahuddin, additional secretary, Economic Relations Division (ERD) and Vinaya Swaroop, acting Country Director, World Bank (WB) signed the agreement on behalf of the government and the WB respectively at Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance.
The Secondary Education Quality and Access Enhancement Project (SEQAEP) is built upon the success of 'Female Secondary School Assistance Project' which is universally acknowledged as a pioneer in improving access for girls in secondary education.
Female enrollment in the secondary level increased from 1.1 million in 1991 to 4.4 million in 2006 after that project was launched in 1993. Despite these achievements, completion rate at the secondary level is still low and many poor children, especially boys, are still left out of the secondary school system.
The SEQAEP covering 121 Upazilas will provide targeted stipends to poor girls and boys to encourage access and retention. One of the main objectives of the project is to improve secondary school educational performance, with emphasis on English Language and Mathematics.
The project will assist in strengthening the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Education both at central and local levels, and establish an effective monitoring and evaluation system.
The credit from the IDA, the WB's concessionary arm, has 40 years to maturity, including a 10-year grace period; and carries a service charge of 0.75 per cent.
Mohammad Mejbahuddin, additional secretary, Economic Relations Division (ERD) and Vinaya Swaroop, acting Country Director, World Bank (WB) signed the agreement on behalf of the government and the WB respectively at Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance.
The Secondary Education Quality and Access Enhancement Project (SEQAEP) is built upon the success of 'Female Secondary School Assistance Project' which is universally acknowledged as a pioneer in improving access for girls in secondary education.
Female enrollment in the secondary level increased from 1.1 million in 1991 to 4.4 million in 2006 after that project was launched in 1993. Despite these achievements, completion rate at the secondary level is still low and many poor children, especially boys, are still left out of the secondary school system.
The SEQAEP covering 121 Upazilas will provide targeted stipends to poor girls and boys to encourage access and retention. One of the main objectives of the project is to improve secondary school educational performance, with emphasis on English Language and Mathematics.
The project will assist in strengthening the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Education both at central and local levels, and establish an effective monitoring and evaluation system.
The credit from the IDA, the WB's concessionary arm, has 40 years to maturity, including a 10-year grace period; and carries a service charge of 0.75 per cent.