State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj spoke at a press conference held this afternoon in the Secretariat. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, June 8, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj announced that a pilot programme to distribute free uniforms, shoes, and school bags to more than 350,000 students in government primary schools across the country will begin in July–August.

“More than 25,000 schools will be included in this initiative at the primary level. The government plans to complete the pilot phase by December and expand the distribution of these items to students in all primary schools from next year,” he said.

Hajjaj said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate the programme before the government completes its first 180 days in office.

He said this in a press conference held this afternoon in the conference room of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute at the Secretariat.

State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md Shariful Alam and State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam were present. 

Earlier, an inter-ministerial preparatory meeting titled “Pilot Distribution of Environment-Friendly Jute School Bags Among Primary School Students,” was held.

At the press conference, Hajjaj stated that the pilot project will be implemented in several phases. In the first phase, the distribution of these materials will begin with at least 100,000 students. Subsequently, through August, September, and October, school bags, uniforms, shoes, and socks will be distributed to more than 350,000 students in total, he added.

He further noted that multiple government primary schools from each upazila have been included in the pilot project to ensure no upazila is deprived of this benefit. More than 25,000 primary schools nationwide will participate in the programme, he said.

“Prime Minister Tarique Rahman firmly believes that if we can build education on a proper and modern foundation, only then will it be possible to create the Bangladesh of our dreams. Other ministries have now come forward to help realize this far-sighted vision,” said Hajjaj.

He said the Textiles and Jute Ministry is providing 500,000 specialized eco-friendly jute school bags free of cost for the pilot project.
 
Meanwhile, the LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry will provide major logistical and administrative support to ensure the rapid and efficient delivery of these materials to schools in upazilas and remote areas.

Considering Bangladesh’s riverine geography and heavy rainfall, the bags are being produced using special technology, he mentioned. 

Hajjaj said the Textiles and Jute Ministry has assured that these jute school bags will be completely waterproof. 

As a result, students’ books and notebooks will remain dry even during rain, he said adding that if any technical shortcomings or errors are identified during the pilot phase, they will be corrected before the full-scale project is launched.

He said based on the success of the pilot project, free distribution of these materials to all students nationwide will begin simultaneously from January 2027. 

The initiative will be implemented under the Fifth Primary Education Development Program (PEDP-5), he said.

He said PEDP-5 is set to become the largest education program in Bangladesh’s history, with direct leadership from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
 
Through this initiative, the entire primary education system of the country is expected to undergo a fundamental transformation, he said.