Rangpur: Primary and Mass Education Adviser, Professor Dr. Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar, has announced that the government is committed to ensuring equitable and quality education for primary school students throughout the country. “As a part of the government’s efforts, a school feeding program (SFP) has been initiated for primary level students to enhance education quality by providing nutritious food to safeguard their health,” he stated.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, this announcement was made during the ‘Government Primary School Feeding Programme Roll-out Session’ workshop, held at the Begum Rokeya Auditorium of Rangpur RDRS Bhaban. The event was organized by the Directorate of Primary Education in collaboration with the World Food Program (WFP), with the Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education, Abu Noor Md Shamsuzzaman, presiding over the event.
The Adviser highlighted the primary goals of the feeding program, which include attracting students to schools, boosting attendance, decreasing dropout rates, improving nutritional standards, and enhancing focus on education. He stressed the importance of maintaining health safety for primary school students by urging all involved parties to ensure the quality of preserved and served food.
The Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education elaborated on the government’s initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of primary education and student health to develop skilled human resources. “As part of this initiative, the feeding program will be launched, distributing nutritious food initially to 31 lakh 30 thousand students in 19 thousand 419 government primary schools across 150 upazilas,” he explained.
The workshop was attended by several distinguished guests, including Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education Abu Taher Md Masud Rana, Director of the Directorate of Primary Education Mohammad Kamrul Hasan, Project Director Mohammad Harun Or Rashid, Head of the School Feeding Department of the WFP Bangladesh Emma Lefu, and Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur Mohammad Rabiul Faisal, among others. Additionally, government officials and those related to primary education were present at the event.