WB to help 4.5 mln Bangladeshi poor students continue secondary education

The Bangladeshi government Wednesday signed a 265 million U.S. dollars additional financing agreement with the International Development Association, the World Bank's concessional arm, for the ongoing Secondary Education Quality and Access Enhancement Project.

The financing will help annually 4.5 million poor rural children in 215 sub-districts across the country to continue secondary education, said the Washington-based lender in a statement.

With this additional financing, it said, the project will continue to provide poverty-targeted stipends and tuition to poor students. It will give incentives to students, teachers and schools to increase enrollment and retention in secondary level education.

It will also scale up activities within 125 sub-districts where the project is being implemented and expand in 90 more sub- districts to improve secondary education quality and systematically monitor learning outcomes and ensure greater accountability at the school level, said the statement.

The Secondary Education Quality and Access Enhancement Project started in 2008 and provided targeted stipends and tuition to 1.8 million disadvantaged children.

The share of poor children in total secondary enrollment rose to 38 percent in 2012, up from 30 percent in 2008.

The project will continue to benefit poor students, teachers, and school management committees as well as improve the quality of education with a special emphasis on mathematics, English and reading habits, said the bank.