Nahid regrets not being able to raise education standard

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday said they were very successful in the education sector in terms of quantity, but he regretted not being able to raise  the education standard.

"The number of children going to school increased, while the number of dropouts decreased drastically. This is an overwhelming achievement for us," he said at a dialogue.

He, however, mentioned that the standard of education was improving slowly.

Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters' Forum organised the dialogue at the Bangladesh Secretariat in the capital.

Nahid said teachers under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) scheme would also get salaries under the new payscale with retrospective effect from July 1 this year.

Replying to a question, he said earnings of schools under the MPO system should be spent transparently.

"Some schools earn more, while others less and the ministry is aware of that. An act will be enacted to fix how the money will be deposited to the government's exchequer or how it will be used," he said.

Nahid hoped the festival for distribution of textbooks among students of primary and secondary schools and madrasas would be held across the country on January 1, which is Friday.

However, he said the festival might be shifted to January 2, considering that January 1 would be a public holiday.

About the quality of textbooks, he said the printing company failing to maintain quality will be fined.