Increased budgetary allocation to stop early marriage stressed

Participants at a dialogue in the city on Saturday called for increasing budgetary allocations to prevent early marriage, reports BSS.
They also sought non-government investments for the purpose. University teachers, intellectuals, government officials and students took part in the dialogue titled 'Investment in Education to Stop Early Marriage' at BRAC Centre.
Taking part in the dialogue, Education Secretary Nazrul Islam Khan said there is no alternative to increasing allocation in education sector to prevent early marriage.
Special allocations are needed for taking programmes to protect secondary level female students from early marriage, he said, adding that the private entrepreneurs would have to come forward along with the government to make investments in this regard.
Former director of the University of Dhaka (DU) Institute of Education and Research Professor Dr Siddiqur Rahman, DU Women and Gender Studies Associate Professor Tania Haq and Terre des Hommes Netherlands Country Director Mahmudul Kabir also took part in the dialogue, among others.
World Vision Bangladesh Advocacy Director Chandan Z Gomez presided over the meeting while DU Institute of Education and Research Assistant Professor Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman presented a keynote paper.
Terre des Hommes Netherlands, Ain O Shalish Kendra, Nari O Shishu Lead Global and World Vision Bangladesh jointly organised the dialogue.
Nazrul Islam Khan said education is the first precondition to stop early marriage.
The government has already attained gender parity in primary education, he said and hoped that gender parity would be achieved in higher education in next five years.
The speakers said unemployment problem is one of the reasons responsible for early marriage. Girls go for early marriage when they do not get employment opportunities at the secondary level, they opined.
The experts suggested forming a 'national network' with public-private initiatives to stop early marriage.
They also suggested changing attitudes towards girls in society and family, creating awareness among guardians and strengthening monitoring activities against early marriage.