Bangladesh has secured a grant worth US$98.85 million from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to help deliver key reforms in the country’s education sector, with a strong focus on improving teacher training and professional development.
The funding was formally announced on Thursday during a programme in Dhaka organised jointly by the Global Partnership for Education, UNESCO, UNICEF, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Ministries of Education and Primary and Mass Education.
Speaking as the special guest, the prime minister's adviser on education Dr Mahdi Amin said the government viewed education reform as a central pillar of its long-term development agenda.
He said planned changes to the education system, based on the government’s electoral commitments, were intended to help build a more prosperous and self-reliant Bangladesh.
He also said the administration was working to develop a modern education system capable of producing patriotic, skilled and globally competitive citizens.
Mahdi Amin described the approval of the international grant as a significant milestone for Bangladesh’s education sector, saying the support from development partners would help make education more inclusive and strengthen long-term reforms.
A major priority of the programme will be improving the professional skills of teachers.
The adviser said well-trained and competent teachers were essential to achieving meaningful education reform, adding that investment in teacher development would have a lasting impact on classroom learning.
The government is also reviewing the national curriculum from the primary to the higher secondary level with the aim of encouraging students’ creativity and individual talents. As part of the proposed reforms, greater emphasis will be placed on culture, sport, technical education, vocational learning and language skills to prepare young people for future global opportunities.
Alongside curriculum changes, the government plans to reduce inequalities across the education system. Measures under consideration include introducing standard school uniforms and school bags for pupils nationwide, expanding school feeding programmes and increasing the use of smart classrooms and multimedia learning technologies.
He said closer cooperation between Bangladesh and its international development partners would help create a new generation of innovative and capable young people who could contribute to the country’s future development and compete internationally.
Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon attended the event as chief guest, while State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj was among the special guests.
Senior representatives from the Asian Development Bank, UNICEF, UNESCO and the British High Commission also participated in the programme, reaffirming their support for Bangladesh’s efforts to modernise its education system.
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