UNB, Dhaka :Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman on Monday told Parliament that the dropout rate in the country’s primary schools is 20.9 percent.”Now the number of enrolled children in primary schools is 1,95,52,979 (enrolment rate 97.7 percent). And the dropout rate is 20.9 percent,” he said answering a scripted question from ruling Awami League MP Md Mamunur Rashid Kiron (Noakhali-3).The minister said, the government has taken a set of measures to ensure 100 percent enrolment and prevent dropouts in primary education.A taskforce has been formed even at ward-level to ensure 100 percent enrolment, he noted.In reply to a starred question from independent MP Hazi Selim (Dhaka-7), the minister said his ministry has formed a Children’s Welfare Trust to bring the rootless street children under education facilities.A total of 91 children’s welfare primary schools were set up in 64 districts and 12 upazilas across the country under the trust, he said.Meanwhile, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid told Parliament that the Education Ministry is now preparing a report and formulating a policy to ensure at least one nationalized secondary school and one nationalized college in all upazilas of the country.The government has a plan to nationalize a secondary school and a college at the upazilas where there are no government secondary schools and government colleges, the minister said replying to a starred question from Jatiya Party MP Shariful Islam Jinnah (Bogra-2).”The Education Ministry has formed a committee in this regard. The committee is now collecting data to select institutions and prepare a report as well as formulating the policy,” Nahid said.In reply to another starred question from ruling Awami League MP Md Golam Mostofa Biswas, the Education Minister said the ministry has taken a set of measures to prevent leak of question papers.Among the measures, promises under oath are taken from those who formulate and modify the question papers, question papers are formulated in specific rooms of the Board concerned, the moderation rooms are under surveillance of sufficient number of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras, separate question papers are formulated for each education board and BG Press staff who are engaged in printing the question papers are under watch of intelligence.
