Education
Nagad to Disburse Stipends to 54 Lakh Students in Bangladesh
The Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust has announced its initiative to provide stipends to around 54 lakh underprivileged and meritorious students at the secondary level in Bangladesh through Nagad, a prominent mobile financial service provider. The aim is to ensure their enrollment in schools.
As part of the stipend disbursement program, students from classes six to ten will receive Taka 5,000 each as one-time assistance. Online applications for the stipends have already been submitted by disadvantaged students, with disbursements set to commence shortly.
Previously, this stipend was distributed through various channels, but concerns about alleged irregularities prompted the government to reconsider. To enhance transparency and efficiency, it has been decided to distribute this assistance solely through Nagad, according to a recent decision by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education under the Education Ministry.
Officials familiar with the matter reveal that stipends for secondary level students under the PM’s Education Assistance Trust were previously disbursed through multiple mobile banking services, including Nagad, and even through banks. However, various problems arose during these disbursements, making it challenging to ensure that the stipends reached the intended beneficiaries.
To address these issues, the decision was made to streamline the process through a single platform. Nagad was chosen due to its proven track record in successfully distributing primary education stipends to 1.5 crore students.
Moreover, Nagad is currently the largest mobile banking company in Bangladesh, with over nine crore registered customers and three lakh agent points nationwide, facilitating convenient money withdrawals.
Government agencies favor Nagad’s services due to its successful track record in disbursing government allowances and stipends. Additionally, Nagad’s lower costs make it a preferred choice for such initiatives.
In late January, the Prime Minister’s Education Assistance Trust issued a notification stating its intention to provide admission assistance to poor and meritorious students enrolled in secondary and equivalent levels in various educational institutions. Eligibility criteria include an annual parental income of less than Taka two lakh and considerations for children of employees in certain government sectors.
Since 2013, a fund of Taka 1,000 crore has been allocated under the PM’s Education Assistance Trust to provide one-time assistance to underprivileged and meritorious students at different educational levels. The assistance amounts have been fixed at Taka 5,000 for secondary level, Taka 6,000 for higher-secondary level, and Taka 10,000 for graduate and equivalent levels, as per government decisions.
The Primary and Mass Education Ministry has declared the closure of all primary schools within the city corporation areas of eight divisional cities, citing concerns for children’s safety.
Senior Information Officer Mahbubur Rahman stated, “The class programs of these institutes will remain closed until further instruction. The decision has been taken considering the safety of the children.”
Additionally, the ministry has suspended classes at primary schools managed by the Shishu Kalyan Trust and learning centers operated by the Bangladesh Bureau of Education Information and Statistics.
Demanding the withdrawal of the “Prottoy” universal pension scheme, teachers at public universities across the country, including Dhaka University, have suspended all academic and administrative activities indefinitely starting today (1 July).
No classes or exams have taken place on campus since this morning.
“The protest against the new pension scheme has commenced with the suspension of academic activities. It will persist until the government withdraws the scheme,” stated Dr. Akhtarul Islam, president of the Bangladesh University Teachers Samity Federation.
However, a visit to the geography department of Dhaka University revealed that administrative activities not involving teachers remained operational.
“The administrative offices are open, but all classrooms are locked,” said Fariha, a geography department student.
Nizam Haq Bhuiyan, general secretary of the Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (DUTA), announced a two-day protest with teachers’ demands.
“Our program will begin at 12pm in front of the Faculty of Arts today and continue until 1pm,” he said.
Today also marks the 104th founding anniversary of Dhaka University. Students were seen attending the program at TSC despite light rain.
On 13 March, the government introduced the Prottoy scheme for employees joining public universities and other organisations under the scheme from 1 July 2024 onwards.
However, those who joined these institutions before 1 July 2024 will continue to receive their previous pension benefits.
In addition to public universities, employees in autonomous, state-owned, and other statutory organisations, along with their subordinates, will also be included in the pension scheme, set to be implemented from Monday.
Public university teachers have been protesting their inclusion in the Prottoy scheme since its announcement and have vowed to continue their protest until it is withdrawn.
Meanwhile, the National Pension Authority has stated that they are ready to implement the scheme from Monday as per the government’s decision.
The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent exams commenced across Bangladesh this morning, excluding the Sylhet division.
In Sylhet, the exams will begin on July 9 due to flooding, according to a Ministry of Education directive. The Sylhet Education Board Chairman, Rama Bijoy Sarkar, stated that new dates for the Bangla-I, II, and English-I and II papers will be announced later.
Nationwide, a total of 14,50,790 students from nine general education boards, the Madrasha Board, and the Technical Board are expected to take the exams at 2,275 centers from 9,463 educational institutions.
Among the candidates, 11,28,281 are from general boards, 88,076 from the Madrasha Board, and 2,34,433 from the Technical Board. Additionally, 281 students will take the exams from eight overseas centers.
Following tradition, all coaching centers are required to remain closed from June 29 to August 11.
Last year, 13,59,342 students participated in the examinations from all boards.
The HSC written exams will continue until August 11, followed by practical exams from August 12 to August 21. Exams under the Technical Board will end on July 18, with practical exams scheduled from July 19 to August 4.
Students must enter exam centers 30 minutes before the exams start. The question paper codes will be sent via SMS 25 minutes before the exams begin. Only exam center in-charges are allowed to carry mobile phones inside the centers.
Only examinees, center invigilators, ministry teams, board teams, local administration, upazila administration teams, and security personnel are permitted inside the exam centers.
In Dhaka, the Quick Response Team (QRT) of the Metropolitan Police will assist examinees during the exams, as previously announced.
