By Saiful Islam

DHAKA, August 9, 2025 (BSS) - The interim government has undertaken wide-ranging reforms and development initiatives in the primary education sector to ensure quality education for all children and contribute to sustainable national progress.

The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has focused on key areas such as infrastructure development, teacher recruitment and training, digitization of promotion processes, textbook distribution, school feeding, and inclusive education. Significant investment has also been made to improve the overall learning environment in schools.

In the current year, a total of 16,247 additional classrooms, 15,144 wash blocks, 4,261 boundary walls, and 6,140 tube wells are being constructed in government primary schools across the country. In Dhaka Metropolitan city and Purbachal, 30 new school buildings are being completed, while a ten-storey Leadership Training Center has already been built in Cox's Bazar.

Teacher recruitment and professional development remain a major focus. The 2025 recruitment policy has been finalized, with a notification to be issued soon for the appointment of 16,027 assistant teachers in general, physical education, and music categories.

In addition, 2,382 head teachers will be appointed from the BCS (non-cadre) pool. A software-based gradation system is being introduced to ensure transparency in the promotion process, which will proceed after the resolution of legal matters. 

In this fiscal year, 7,115 teachers will receive professional training, and a baseline survey will be conducted to assess student learning outcomes, according to the ministry sources.
The interim government has reinstated the Primary Scholarship Examination from 2025. A total of 82,500 students will receive scholarships -- 33,000 under the talent pool and 49,500 in the general category. The proposed annual stipend is Tk 7,700 for talent pool recipients and Tk 5,900 for those under the general category. 

In the 2025 academic year, 9.02 crore textbooks have already been distributed. For the 2026 academic year, 8.20 crore textbooks will be distributed free of cost to 1.86 crore students, with a total allocation of Tk 622.76 crore.

To encourage attendance and support child nutrition, a school feeding programme will begin in 150 upazilas from September, with plans to expand it to the remaining 349 upazilas. 

To ensure long-term impact and sustainability, a five-year Primary Education Development Program (PEDP-5) is being designed as a continuation of PEDP-4. Under this plan, 13 new projects are underway, including reconstruction of decaying schools, establishment of model schools, development of playgrounds, solar power connections, construction of child-friendly classrooms, and expansion of ICT infrastructure. A special emphasis is being placed on education in tea garden areas.

The stipend programme will benefit 1.14 crore students this fiscal year, with Tk 1,675.73 crore allocated. All stipends are being disbursed through EFT. 

To ensure high-quality teacher preparation, one-year pre-service training will begin in 10 Primary Teacher Training Institutes (PTIs). Efforts are being made to make education more inclusive through review of textbooks, formulation of assistive device policies, training in Garo and Sadri languages, and inclusive education training for 27,000 teachers. Teachers will also be trained to improve instruction in mother tongues of ethnic communities.

Pre-primary education development is also a priority, with emphasis on classroom decoration and training for both head and assistant teachers. To ensure continuity of learning during emergencies, Tk 25 crore has been allocated for education-in-emergency programmes, while Tk 800 crore has been earmarked for school-based development plans across 65,357 schools.

In the ICT sector, 3,000 interactive whiteboards will be distributed, and digital content studios, server stations, and software systems will be upgraded. Training will be provided to both field-level officials and teachers. Staffing of the Information Management Division (IMD) and enhancements to the IPMS software system are also being implemented.

Under PEDP-4, five-phase IQ testing for students will be introduced in collaboration with the Clinical Psychology Department of Dhaka University. The first two phases will cost Tk 1 crore. Bengali pronunciation-based digital content will be developed to supplement textbooks in Chakma, Marma, Tripura, Sadri, and Garo languages. 

The e-Monitoring app for school supervision will be updated and made more user-friendly.

For the fiscal year 2025-26, Tk 35,403 crore has been allocated for the primary and mass education sector.