Govt to expand monitoring of primary education nationwide: Bobby

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The government is taking steps to bring all primary schools, kindergartens and English-medium institutions across the country under a government monitoring system, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj said.

He made the remarks while attending a training workshop on classroom management and the role of local administration in primary education in Chattogram today.

Hajjaj said the Department of Primary Education's current monitoring system has largely focused on government primary schools. However, the new policy will introduce significant changes to extend monitoring to all primary-level institutions.

He stressed the importance of regular field visits to understand the actual conditions of schools and improve the quality of primary education. He also said education officials should base their activities on accurate information and address inconsistencies in available data.

The state minister said the government plans to introduce school feeding programmes in all government primary schools across the country next year.

He also emphasised the need to monitor students' learning outcomes, attendance, nutrition and the overall learning environment in an integrated manner.

According to Hajjaj, education administration officials will have to follow seven key standards to ensure quality and accountability in primary education.

These include ensuring schools operate effectively and regularly, verifying teacher attendance, maintaining accurate student enrollment records and directly observing students' learning.

He also stressed ensuring government resources reach the intended students, maintaining safe and functional school facilities, and promoting respectful relations among officials, students, guardians, media representatives and the public.

Hajjaj reaffirmed the government's plan to remove untrained teachers from classrooms, saying proper training and qualifications would be required for teachers in both government and private primary schools.

He said teacher recruitment, training and classroom teaching capabilities would be important components of the new monitoring framework.

Md Nurul Islam, Deputy Director of Primary Education for Chattogram Division, chaired the programme. Additional Director General Md Abdur Rahim and several district and upazila primary education officials attended as special guests.