PM orders feasibility study to restore girls’ stipend

The Prime Minister recently called a high-level conference at the Bangladesh Secretariat to review the Education Assistance Trust’s ongoing aims and actions, emphasising its critical role in decreasing student dropout rates through financial assistance. During the meeting, officials discussed the historical effects of the standard stipend program for girls, which was started under former PM Begum Khaleda Zia. They noted that the program had successfully increased female school attendance, prolonged educational participation, and discouraged child marriage.

Based on these discoveries, the PM instructed officials to investigate the possibility of reinstating standard stipends for female students in grades six through undergraduate. A thorough plan will be developed to examine the costs of implementation, the precise number of beneficiaries, operational tactics, and anticipated social results. To provide equal support for both genders, the conference also looked at merit-based stipends as a way to encourage male students’ academic achievement.

Beyond financial assistance, the meeting focused on the critical nexus of student nutrition, health, safety, and education quality. The management of school-level midday meal programs, optimising nutritional content, and ensuring safe food preparation with zero tolerance for quality compromises were the main topics of discussion. The PM approved pilot programs for two alternative midday meal models in two different areas to evaluate costs, local involvement, and management effectiveness. Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Haque Milan, Prime Minister’s Education Advisor Mahdi Amin, and other high-ranking officials were present at the meeting.