'Improve quality of edn to achieve MDGs'
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is not possible without improving the quality of education and health services, status of which still remains very poor due to bad governance, said speakers at a discussion yesterday.
They, therefore, emphasised increasing allocation for these sectors and checking leakages by improving good governance.
They were addressing a discussion to review the progress of the MDGs organised by the Shushashoner Jonny Procharavijan (Supro) at the National Press Club in the city.
According to the government report, the rate of poverty alleviation is 3.6 percent and if this rate continues, poverty in 2015 will stand at 30 percent, while the MDG is to cut the rate to 29 percent.
The UN targeted 100 percent completion of primary education, which is now only 52 percent because of around 50 percent dropout, while it targeted reducing maternal mortality rate to 144 per lakh, which is now 351, according to a Supro presentation.
“There is the pledge of 100 percent enrolment in primary schools, but what benefit does it bring if large drop outs are there,” said Bangladesh Red Crescent Society Chairman and lawmaker Dr MS Akbar, adding that partisanship in the school management committees is a blockade to improvement of education.
Lawmaker Abdul Mannan said there is huge corruption in school stipend programme. If corruption cannot be checked and teachers are not provided with training to improve their quality, it is difficult to improve the standard of education, he noted.
“And, whatever achievements we make, we cannot improve unless we control population,” he said.
Development expert Monowar Mustafa said the government considers GDP growth as development indicator, but while efforts are made to increase GDP, it liberalises trade, making the poor section more vulnerable.
Supro Chairperson Abdul Awal and Prof Tarik Ahsan and Sanjida Akhter Nira also spoke.
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