$ 2.4 m Japanese grant for quality pry education

He urged the donors in primary education sector to help bring those children, large number of whom live in urban slums, into schooling programme.

Giersing was speaking at a function to mark the 'Signing and Exchange of Notes' between the Japan government and the Unicef

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in the city.

"Under the exchange of notes, Japan will make available 2.4 million US dollars in grant to Bangladesh through the Unicef in order to improve the quality of primary education," said the Japanese Ambassador Matsushiro Horiguchi.

The grant is meant for supporting the second phase of Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-II).

Japan also provided an aid of 2 million US dollars to support the Intensive District Approach to Education for All (Ideal) programme through the Unicef during the first phase of PEDP that ended in last December with encouraging success in improving the quality of primary education, the ambassador said.

According to the officials, around 10.3 million children have so far been benefited under the Ideal project that started in 1996 covering 39.7 thousand schools in 38 districts,

The PEDP-II will benefit 17.5 million children in attaining quality primary education and make 3.15 lakh teachers of 65 thousand primary schools efficient in imparting quality education, said Giersing.

There are 79 thousand primary schools in the country out of which 39 thousand schools are run by the government, said Syed Joglul Pasha, joint programme director of the primary education department, adding that 18 million children in the country need primary education.

He said the cost of PEDP-II has been estimated at Tk 5000 crore.

Designed by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, the Directorate of Primary Education is responsible for implementing the PEDP-II which was launched in September 2004.

Mahbub Ahmed, joint secretary of primary and mass education ministry, said the programme aims at increasing access to primary education and improving its quality in accordance with the government's commitments to Education for All, Poverty Reduction Strategy and Millenium Development Goals.

The Japanese fund will cover Unicef's activities in training on interactive teaching approach, capacity building of government officials at local levels, awareness campaign for quality education and situation analysis on educationally disadvantaged children.

Japan, the biggest bilateral donor of Bangladesh, is also supporting the PEDP-II through its international cooperation agency (Jica) for strengthening training of primary teachers on science and mathematics.