Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has said education is not only an effective weapon to alleviate poverty and attain social development but also the guarantee of safeguarding democracy.

The prime minister was speaking at a function organised in observance of the International Literacy Day 2004 and for the launch of a Tk 5,000 crore Second Primary Education Development Program (PEDP-II) at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre yesterday.

About 35,000 qualified teachers will be recruited and 30,000 new classrooms built under the PEDP-II to be implemented over a period of

six years from 2004.

The main objective of the programme, designed by the Ministry of Primary and Mass

Education, is to ensure quality of primary education for all children in Bangladesh.

According to the financial planning, the government will provide the major portion of nearly 64 percent while the rest will be provided by other co-financiers, including the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, DFID, European Commission, the Netherlands, Norad, Sida, Cida, Jica, Australian government and Unicef.

The PEDP-II was conceptualised meeting the key objectives within the framework of the National Plan of Action for "Education for All-

2002-2015", Millennium Goals and the Poverty Reduction Strategy in line with good governance.

Speaking at the function, the prime minister expressed her belief that the PEDP-II would have immense and far-reaching contribution to the expansion and

improvement of the standard of primary education in the country.

She urged all to work together to ensure education for all.

The prime minister also mentioned the formation of the Primary and Mass Education Division in 1992 which the BNP-led four-party alliance government upgraded to

a full-fledged ministry.

She said the government has taken up a new project called "reaching out to schoolchildren" for those deprived of education. The Tk 400 crore six-year-long project will help 20 lakh such students complete their primary schooling.

She also mentioned the "hard to reach" programme taken up for training of the deprived working children and youths at the divisional level.

Referring to the government's programme of ensuring primary education for every child and reducing dropouts, the prime minister reminded that attendance

at schools increased as an

outcome.

Presided over by Prime Minister's Adviser for Primary and Mass Education Prof Jahanara Begum, the function was also addressed by Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman, Secretary in charge of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education Rafiqul Islam and Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education and Project Director of PDEP-II ABM Abdus Sattar.

Ministers, members of parliament, representatives of donor agencies and a large number of academics were present at the function.