Staff Correspondent

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj emphasized that the actual impact of ongoing reforms and development initiatives in primary education must be evaluated over the long term, noting that learning outcomes within classrooms—rather than infrastructure development or project implementation—must serve as the chief metric of success.

The State Minister made these observations while addressing as chief guest a dialogue titled "Citizen's Platform Dialogue: How Far Has the Government Progressed? Focus on Primary Education," organized by the Citizen's Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, at the Lakeshore Hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka, on Saturday.

Speaking on the Primary Education Development Program (PEDP), State Minister Bobby Hajjaj acknowledged that project-based initiatives have historically expanded infrastructure, technology, and administrative capacity. 

To address teacher shortages and systemic management challenges, the State Minister announced long-term structural reforms aimed at integrating recruitment, professional career trajectories, performance evaluations, and training into a unified framework. 

Presided over by Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Distinguished Fellow Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, the dialogue featured Faridpur-1 MP Md. Iliyas Molla, Reserved Women's Seat MP Nusrat Tabassum, Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education Shahina Ferdousi, CPD Executive Director Dr. Nazneen Ahmed, Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) Executive Director Rasheda K. Choudhury, Bengal Foundation Director General Luva Nahid Choudhury, Jahangirnagar University Professor Dr. Nahrin Islam Khan, and Dr. Tasnim Zara as special guests. CPD Additional Research Director Towfiqul Islam Khan presented the keynote paper at the event, which drew civil society leaders, educationists, and government representatives.