KURIGRAM, Jan 14, 2020 (BSS) -Marking the ‘Mujib Year’ , a total of 410,238
primary level students have been brought under the facility of school-feeding
programme so that students of 2,166 schools under 16 upazilas can reap the
benefit of the scheme.
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Md Zakir Hossain today
revealed the information while addressing a school feeding inauguration
programme as the chief guest on Rowmari Model Government Primary School
premises in Rowmari upazila of the district.
The state minister said lunch (mid-day meal) will be provided to primary-
level students across the country as the government has already approved the
National School Meal Policy-2019.
The school feeding programme simultaneously started today at 16 upazilas
across the country, including Rowmari and Rajibpur of Kurigram district, he
said, adding that the government is hoping that the proper implementation of
the scheme would increase the school attendance side by side preventing drop-
out rate.
Praising the sincerity of the present government towards development of
education, he said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is determined to ensure
standard primary education across the country, adding that in continuation of
her endeavour to this end, she directed to start such kind of initiative to
ensure food or meal for students.
The drop-out rate of the students of the schools was over 50 percent during
the rule of BNP-Jamaat, the minister said, adding that “That scenario has
totally been changed increasing the attendance rate of the students during
the current (Awami League-led) government.”
He said the school feeding programme started in 2010 to poor-stricken
schools of the country and a total of 104 poor-stricken upazilas are being
benefited from the programme.
“All the schools across the country will get the benefit of school-feeding scheme
by 2023,” he added.
With Deputy Commissioner Sultana Parveen in the chair, the programme was
attended, among others, by Secretary on Primary and Mass Education Akram-Al-
Hossain and Directorate of Primary Education Director General (Additional
Secretary) Dr AFM Manzur Kadir as the special guests and Rajibpur Upazila
chairman Akbor Hossain Hero.