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Double pry school stipends

Experts tell programme's evaluation report launch

Staff Correspondent
Monthly stipends for primary school students should be doubled to Tk 200 since living expenses have gone up, urged experts yesterday at the launching of an evaluation report of the programme meant to keep children in schools.
Moreover, every child of a family should get the stipend equally, they suggested at a hotel in the capital. The eldest gets Tk 100 and the nextTk 25 while others get none.
"Costs have gone up so much that the value of the stipend money is around half of what it used to be in 2003 (when the programme was introduced)," said Hossain Zillur Rahman, former adviser to a caretaker government.
The report, "Bangladesh primary education stipends: A qualitative assessment”,
was prepared by the Directorate of Primary Education, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Power and Participation Research Centre and Unicef.
"Our military expenditure has gone up so why not spend more on education? It is the state's responsibility to make sure all children are educated," urged Rasheda K Choudhury, another adviser.
The government is currently allotting only USD 50 per child annually whereas developed countries spend USD 3,000, she remarked. "In South Asia, we spend the least behind our children, "she added.
The students must also be given a hot midday meal since it is one of the most effective ways of keeping them in school, stated the experts.
Even the teachers should be given incentive
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packages, said Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman. The stipends, mostly focused on upazilas experiencing high poverty, brought huge success in enrollment rates. "We have seen that the money is spent on buying stationary for the children and paying for extra
classes," stated Zillur.
The programme also impacted students' presence as a drop in attendance results in stipend cancellation, said Rasheda.
"However, despite the successes, dropouts and poor quality of education still plague the system," said Pascal Villeneuve, Unicef representative in Bangladesh.