42.44 Lakh Poor Secondary Students To Get Stipends

Among the total student studying in the secondary level at all schools across the country, 30 per cent female student and 10 per cent male student in every class will be given the stipend under "Secondary Education Stipend Project, Second Phase (SESP)".

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved the stipend project involving Taka 791 crore.

ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting held at the NEC conference room in city's Sher-e-Banglanagar.

Planning Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal, after the meeting, briefed the reporters about the outcome of the meeting. He said a total of six development projects including the secondary stipend project were approved with the outlay of Taka 5,397 crore.

"Of the total project cost, the government will provide Taka 4,915 crore from the national exchequer while Taka 453 crore will come as project assistance and the organization concerned will contribute Taka 29 crore from own fund," added the planning minister.

Turning on the secondary education stipend project, Mustafa Kamal said the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education is entrusted to implement the project by June 2017 covering some 217 upazilas of 53 districts.

He said: "30 per cent of the female students and 10 per cent of the male students would get the stipend in each class where the students till appearing at the SSC and Dakhil examinations would have to be unmarried."

Besides, Mustafa Kamal said, another condition for availing the stipend is getting minimum 33 per cent marks in annual exams in class VI and VII while getting minimum 40 per cent marks in class VIII and IX alongside having minimum class attendance of 75 per cent.

In addition, guardians of the students eligible for getting the stipend would have to posses below seven decimal of land and annual income below Taka 50,000, he added.

The students of class VI and VII would get monthly Taka 100 as stipend, class VIII students would get monthly Taka 120 as stipend while class IX and X students monthly Taka 150 as stipend.

Apart from this, the students from class VI to VIII would get monthly Taka 15 as tuition fee while the class IX and X students would get monthly Taka 20. Besides, the students appearing before the SSC exams would get Taka 750 at a time.

The planning minister said the project should continue until achieving cent per cent enrollment rate in the secondary level while the project is also expected to reduce child marriage and drop outs.

The day's ECNEC meeting approved another project titled "Installation of Prepaid Gas Meter for TGTDCL (BD: P78) Natural Gas Efficiency Project" with Taka 719.16 crore under which some 2 lakh prepaid gas meters would be installed in some 12 areas in the capital.

The project will cover 12 areas of the capital including Badda, Gulshan, Tejgaon, Cantonment, Mirpur, Kafrul, Khilkhet, Uttar Khan, Dakshin Khan, Uttara, Purbachal and Jhilmeel.

Currently, some 4,000 pre-paid gas meters have so far been installed in city's Mohammadpur and Lalmatia area with the financial assistance of ADB.

Planning Minister said about 24 lakh consumers across the capital would be gradually brought under the pre-paid gas meter system and this is expected to reduce the system loss through minimizing misuse.

The other projects approved in the meeting are "Itna-Mithamain-Astagram road construction" project with TK 438.35 crore, greater Faridpur Rural Infrastructure development project, 2nd revised with TK 1710 crore, greater Faridpur Rural Infrastructure Development project, 2nd phase, 2nd revised with TK 1490 crore and Boosting crops production through farm mechanization, 2nd phase, 1st revised with TK 248.18 crore.

Ministers and State Ministers attended the meeting while Planning Commission members and Secretaries concerned were present.