PM for sustaining success in education sector

Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina asked the officials concerned on Wednesday to make their constant efforts to sustain the country's success in the education sector over the last few years, report agencies.
The PM also asked them to turn all the 228 primary schools in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) into residential ones in phases and take effective steps for maintaining the achievements in the country's education sector.
She gave the directives while addressing the first meeting of the 'National Taskforce for Execution of the Commitment to Enroll All Children in Primary School and Building Illiteracy-free Bangladesh' at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in the city.
Sheikh Hasina, who is also the adviser of the Taskforce, presided over the meeting, PM's press secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhuri said after the meeting.
Pointing out the country's success in achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) in the education sector, the PM asked the officials to make their constant efforts to maintain the progress.
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, Minister for Primary and Mass Education Mustafizur Rahman Fizar, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, State Minister for Science and Technology Architect Yafez Osman, State Minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Bir Bahadur, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki attended the meeting.
Officials informed the meeting that enrolment of children at the primary level now is around 97.70 per cent against 93.90 per cent in 2009. The dropout rate at the primary level decreased to 20.90 per cent in 2014 from 45.10 per cent in 2009.
The PM attributed the success in the education sector to government steps taken for widening the scope of education for all, particularly formulation of the national children's policy and creating pro-education atmosphere for all including girls.
She said a total of 26,193 registered primary schools and services of around 103,845 school teachers were nationalised while around 0.1 million new teachers were recruited.
The PM asked the officials to take special care for increasing the attendance of students in schools at CHT and said all schools in the CHT would gradually be residential considering the difficult communication system of the hill areas.
Sheikh Hasina also asked the authorities concerned for the continuation of midday meal for students and taking initiatives with the help of local people and guardians to create a fund voluntarily in every school to serve midday meal according to the students' choice.