ECNEC approves Tk 41,090 crore primary education development programme.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved the Primary Education Development Programme-5 (PEDP-5), a major Tk 41,090.48 crore initiative aimed at improving the quality of primary education through infrastructure development, teacher training, digital learning and student welfare programmes.
While briefing journalists after the day’s ECNEC meeting at the NEC Conference Room, State Minister for Planning Md. Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki said the project required urgent implementation as it incorporates the government’s major flagship programmes for the primary education sector.
“Several flagship programmes of the government relating to primary education have been brought under this programme. Therefore, it is important to start its implementation without delay,” he said.
The approval came with several observations and instructions from the government, including rationalisation of consultancy expenditure, clarification of training arrangements and transfer of revenue-related activities to the revenue budget within two years.
Saki said the project had undergone several rounds of scrutiny by the Planning Commission, which raised questions about consultancy costs and allocations under different components.
The state minister said the proposed consultancy expenditure had also come under scrutiny.
“We have raised questions about the justification of expenditure under several components, including consultancy services. We have asked the concerned authorities to rationalise these allocations,” he said.
The government has also instructed the authorities to transfer expenditure items that essentially belong to the revenue budget to the revenue sector within two years.
The minister said the authorities must submit the Project Completion Reports (PCRs) for PEDP-3 and PEDP-4, as the reports remain outstanding.
The programme will cover a wide range of activities, including the establishment of new primary schools, renovation of existing schools, teacher training, digital classrooms and the distribution of educational materials.
Its major components include the government’s flagship initiatives such as “One Teacher, One Tab”, multimedia classrooms and “One Child, One Tree”.
The programme will also provide school uniforms, shoes and educational materials to primary school students.
Other components include mid-day meals, sports and cultural activities, educational visits to historical sites and museums, and improvements to school facilities.
The state minister said teacher training would receive particular attention, as the government wants to improve the quality of classroom education.
He said the project initially proposed extensive training arrangements through 63 training centres, which would require considerable time to train around 350,000 teachers.
The government has suggested using existing public infrastructure and online-based arrangements to complete the training within a shorter period.
“We want to complete the teachers’ training as quickly as possible so that they can deliver quality education. We have asked the authorities to explore the use of existing government infrastructure and online platforms,” he said.
The government also wants the authorities to ensure appropriate training manuals, identify the beneficiaries and maintain the quality of training.
The minister said the project name would also be reconsidered to reflect its broader programme-based character.
He said the ECNEC had instructed the authorities to address all observations and resubmit the revised Development Project Proposal (DPP) within two weeks.
The government expects the programme to bring significant improvements to the country’s primary education system by combining infrastructure development, teacher capacity building and student-centred interventions under a comprehensive framework.
The state minister said the programme would provide a stronger foundation for the country’s next generation.
ECNEC sends four projects back for further review:
Meanwhile, the day’s ECNEC meeting sent back four development projects for further review, seeking additional assessments, cost rationalisation and clarification of project components before their resubmission.
The four projects were among 17 proposals considered at the ECNEC meeting, which approved 13 projects.
State Minister for Planning said the authorities had been asked to address specific observations and resubmit the projects after conducting further assessments.
The projects sent back for review are:
Repair and Development of Damaged Roads, Drains and Footpaths of Major Roads under Dhaka South City Corporation which covers the period from October 2026 to September 2029; Local Economic Development in Selected Municipalities, proposes interventions in 70 municipalities; Netrokona University establishment project revision and Dhaka Water Security and Resilience Programme: Integrated Pollution Monitoring and Enforcement System.
The State Minister said that the authorities would reconsider the four proposals in light of the observations before placing them before the ECNEC again.
