Free lunch for schools soon: PM

Free lunch for schools soon: PM | Bangladesh | bdnews24.com


Dial 2000 from your GP mobile for latest news
Dhaka, Dec 7 (bdnews24.com)--Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said her government wants to launch school-feeding programme with its own funding to stop school dropout.

"We can reduce dropout rate by launching feeding programmes in schools. Many students drop out due to hunger," said Hasina while taking part in the discussion on the proposed education policy in the parliament.

She said her government received support from the donors to run the programme.

"But we should not turn to the donors always. We want to launch feeding peogrammes at all schools across the country with our own funding," said Hasina.

At present the WFP provides nutritious biscuits to the primary school children to increase school attendance. The UN body reported that the biscuit feeding resulted in greater presence of students at primary level.

As per the report, the cabinet, two months ago approved a project for giving biscuits to the primary students with a view to attaining the millennium development goals on primary education.

The prime minister also said her government was considering providing free education to all students up to graduation level.

"We have formed a committee, headed by the planning minister, to recommend ways of providing free education to all boys and girls up to graduate level," said Hasina, adding that she hoped to create a lliteracy-free country by 2014.

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid, agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury, Suranjit Sengupta, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Tofail Ahmed, Rashed Khan Menon and chief whip Abdus Shahid also spoke.