Govt to recruit 8,500 FP workers

The government plans to strengthen its family planning initiatives by recruiting 8,500 new family planning workers across the country.
“There has been no recruitment in the family planning department for 15 years, and the department now has over 15,000 posts lying vacant,” said M Neazuddin, director general of Directorate of Family Planning.
He believes that the additional manpower would help family planning initiatives reach its targeted population growth rate of 1.3 percent from 1.39 percent.
Neazuddin was speaking at the launching of a report “State of World Population 2011” organised by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the city's Ruposhi Bangla Hotel, where Planning Minister AK Khandker also spoke.
The report predicts that the seven billionth member of the world's population would be born next Monday.
“A milestone, no doubt, but also a challenge, an opportunity and a call to action,” said UNFPA Representative to gladesh Arthur Erken.
Bangladesh's population currently stands at 150.5 million, 76.2 million of which are males, and a fertility rate (the average number of children a woman gives birth over her lifetime) of 2.2, adds the report.
While primary school enrolment is high for both males (88 percent) and females (89 percent), only 40 percent of males and 43 percent of females join secondary schools, it says.
The planning ministry statistics division Secretary Riti Ibrahim and UNFPA Programme Officer Clara Rodriguez also spoke at the programme. (More story on page 1)