Primary teachers' status upgraded

The status of government primary school headmasters has been upgraded from grade III to II, announced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday.
Inaugurating National Primary Education Week-2014 in the capital's Osmani Memorial Auditorium, she said the government aims to provide education free of cost till class VIII and making it mandatory for all children who were the nation's invaluable assets.The government also aims to continue stipend programmes for female education and it has approved a project for implementing the non-formal education programme for the elderly to achieve the 100 percent literacy target, she said.
Primary School Certificate and Junior School Certificate Terminal examinations are being held to raise education standard while the teacher-student ratio in classrooms has been reduced, she added.

Besides, free textbooks are being provided up to secondary level and 100 percent enrollment is being ensured at primary schools, she said.
She said a total of 79 lakh primary students, four lakh secondary students and 1.33 lakh students from higher secondary to degree level are getting government stipends.
Prime Minister's Education Assistance Trust Fund has been constituted with Tk 1,000 crore seed money to help the poor and meritorious students, she said.
Besides, locally managed midday meals have been introduced in some schools which would be expanded to all schools in phases, she added.
Hasina distributed medals among officials, teachers, schools and public representatives for their outstanding contribution to the promotion of primary education at national, divisional, district and upazila level for 2012 and 2013.
She also distributed medals among students for their excellence in extracurricular activities including in sports, recitation, extempore speech, painting, music, acting and handwriting at national level.