Mymensingh Correspondent

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj today expressed optimism that major qualitative and visible changes would be brought to the country's primary education system within the next two to three years.

"The government is working in a well-planned manner to implement the vision and responsibilities that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has entrusted to us for transforming primary education," he said.

The state minister made the remarks while addressing as the chief guest a training workshop titled "Classroom Activities in Primary Education, Monitoring, Accountability and Changed Expectations from Local Administration" at the NAPE auditorium here.

The Office of the Divisional Deputy Director of Primary Education, Mymensingh Division, organised the workshop.

Bobby Hajjaj said the primary education sector had made significant progress in planning, piloting and implementation during the government's first 180 days.

He said the government is focusing on curriculum development, a new teacher policy and value-based education, with greater emphasis on cultural, sports and technology-oriented learning.

Outlining new initiatives, he said a "speaking test" would be introduced alongside written English examinations in the next curriculum to improve students' communication skills.

An integrated IT ecosystem would also be developed to maintain information on every student, with each student receiving a "Unique ID", he said.

Besides, necessary "wash blocks" would be established in school buildings, he added.

Regarding measures to increase school attendance, Bobby Hajjaj said initiatives had been taken to provide every primary student with nutritious mid-day meals, free uniforms, shoes and school bags.

"The government's infrastructure development goal is not merely to construct buildings but to transform every government primary school into a quality and safe learning environment," he said.

The state minister also stressed the importance of involving parents, teachers and local communities in creating a sense of ownership of government primary schools.

The Divisional Deputy Director of Primary Education, Mymensingh, chaired the programme.

Director General of the National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE) Farid Ahmed and Director of the Policy and Operations Division of the Directorate of Primary Education attended the workshop as special guests.

PTI superintendents and district and upazila primary education officers from all districts of Mymensingh Division also attended.