EU Gives Bangladesh Tk 428cr for Education Sector

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday transferred EUR 46.125 million (428 crores Taka) to the Government of Bangladesh to support key national reforms in the education sector.

With this grant, the EU recognizes and supports the Government’s commitment to the development of human capital, the eradication of poverty and inequalities, along with its commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

This is the first disbursement under the EU sector budget support 'Human Capital Development Programme 2021', which focuses on strengthening the education and skills sector of Bangladesh with a specific focus on the primary, technical vocational education and training, said the European Union Embassy in Dhaka.

In line with the National Education Policy and National Skills Development Policy, the EU support aims to contribute to the Government of Bangladesh’s own reform agenda and institutional capacity towards a comprehensive education and skills development approach.

"Education is fundamental for the economic growth of a country and remains at the core of EU’s development cooperation,” said the Ambassador of the EU, Rensje Teerink.

“Reaping the maximum benefit of Bangladesh’s demographic dividend will largely depend on an inclusive and equitable quality Primary Education and Technical and Vocational Education system designed to cater for the future job market and employment generation.

The EU remains committed to supporting Bangladesh in their efforts to strengthen its education system and realise its vision to become a middle-income country,” she added.

The program of support to education reforms intends to provide a total of EUR 200 million as budget support linked to jointly-agreed performance indicators, in primary education as part of the Primary Education Development Programme 4 together with other development partners.

The program addresses the core elements of system strengthening and policy development. Technical assistance is also available to support the cluster of institutions responsible to coordinate and deliver education reforms.

The disbursement of this first payment comes after a positive decision of the Budget Support Steering Committee of the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development in April 2020.

Source: UNB