Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon has informed the parliament that five major projects are currently being implemented to improve the country’s primary education system.
Responding to a question from lawmaker SM Jahangir Hossain (Dhaka-18), the minister said the initiatives are being carried out under the Directorate of Primary Education.
He also told the parliament that the ministry is considering the recruitment of 9,000 religious teachers across the country. He emphasised the initiative will not be limited to Islamic education but will include teachers from all religions.
The minister noted that a committee has been formed to bring English-medium schools under regulatory frameworks.
However, the projects include the Fourth Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-4), running from July 2018 to June 2026, and the Demand-Based Government Primary School Development Project (Phase I), which began in July 2016 and will continue until 2026.
Another project focuses on establishing and upgrading government primary schools, along with beautification works in Dhaka Metropolitan area and Purbachal, scheduled from January 2020 to June 2027.
Additionally, a “Pre-primary and Primary Education Development Project” is underway in Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, and Bhasan Char from July 2024 to June 2027.
A school feeding programme covering government primary schools in 150 upazilas is also being implemented between January 2025 and December 2027.
Milon further said that the Bureau of Non-Formal Education is conducting a “Functional Literacy and Practical Skills Training (Pre-vocational Level)” course in 58 districts.
He added that a new initiative, “Alternative Learning Opportunity for Out-of-School Children (ALO),” will be launched in one upazila of each of the country’s 64 districts. Approved by ECNEC on 25 January 2026, the project will run until December 2028.
