Non-Formal Edn Bill 2014 gets Cabinet’s final nod

The Cabinet has cleared the draft of the ‘Non-Formal Education Bill 2014’, aiming to expand and enhance the quality of non-formal education in the country. The final approval came from the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held in the Cabinet room of the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament). Briefing reporters at the Secretariat after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said if the law is enacted, it will help expand the country’s non-formal education in addition to improving its quality. He said the law will be implemented by the Non-Formal Education Bureau while the Bureau will look after the administrative aspects. Under the proposed law, a Non-Formal Education Board will be constituted with the Director General of the Bureau as its chairman to regulate the academic standards and the curricula of non-formal education, said the Cabinet Secretary. About the provision of punishment under the draft law, Musharraf said if anyone violates the law or impedes its implementation that person will be sentenced to maximum six months’ imprisonment or be fined Tk 50,000 maximum. The Cabinet Secretary also noted the draft law will allow the Board to create rules and regulations after taking the government’s consent, according to UNB.