The European Commission has approved a grant of 36 million ECU (European Currency Unit), about Taka 190 crore to Bangladesh, to take up programmes in female education in the country, reports BSS.

The programme which is intended to motivate, train and employ female teachers in rural secondary schools in

Bangladesh has been taken under the European Union's development assistance programme for Asia and Latin America, a press release said here yesterday.

A formal agreement between the government and the commission will be signed soon in this regard.

The objective of the project is to support Bachelor of Education (B-Ed) training for approximately 1000 female secondary school teachers annually over a period of seven years to ensure employment of these trained teachers at rural secondary schools and to provide minimum refurbishment of secondary schools in remote and poor rural areas. It is also intended to encourage and facilitate the employment of female teachers at such schools through building hostels for them.

The commission hoped that the project would strengthen the quality and gender-sensitivity of teaching at rural secondary schools through, providing selective support to the introduction and use of modern training methods, techniques and materials. the press release added.