Bangladesh registers 3.84 million persons with disabilities, majority covered by social safety net

Bangladesh now has 3.84 million registered persons with disabilities, classified under 12 official categories, according to government officials speaking at an event on inclusive education and disability services.

Md Saidur Rahman Khan, director general of the Department of Social Services (DSS), said, "The latest total number of registered persons with disabilities is 3.84 million. Among them, 3.45 million receive allowances, and 81,000 students receive scholarships from schools."

He made the remarks at the national closing ceremony of the Shikhbo Shobai (Everyone Will Learn) project, held yesterday (11 December) at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre. The event highlighted achievements in promoting inclusive education and discussed sustainable plans for the future.

Saidur Rahman Khan stressed that inclusive education requires collective action, warning that many schools will remain unsuitable for children with disabilities without broader engagement. There are 64 Visual i-centres across all districts and training programmes, such as handicrafts, to promote economic inclusion.

Abu Noor Md Shamsuzzaman, director general of the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), highlighted a plan to bring 1 crore children under a nationwide school feeding programme, operating five days a week, to boost access and retention in education.

Shona Moni Chakma, director of programs, JPUF, said the country currently has 54 dedicated schools and 12 specially equipped institutions, though many mainstream schools remain inaccessible.

Photo: collected

Martin Dawson, development counsellor and deputy development director of the British High Commission, Dhaka, said, "Education forms opportunity. In Bangladesh, school-aged children with disabilities mostly do not attend school, symbolising thousands of dreams on hold. This project set out to change that reality."

Amrita Rejina Rozario, country director of Sightsavers Bangladesh, added, "The project demonstrated that when communities, schools, and policymakers work together, barriers to education can be overcome. Home to School is a journey towards guaranteeing education, which the Shikhbo Shobai project achieved."

Hamish Higginson, global technical lead of inclusive education at Sightsavers, said the project strengthened capacity among education stakeholders, enabled teachers to innovate, boosted OPDs' capacity, and fostered community trust in education.

Since April 2022, the Shikhbo Shobai project has been implemented by a consortium led by Sightsavers in partnership with ADD International and Sense International, in collaboration with the DPE. Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, it has brought significant changes to government primary schools in three upazilas in Narsingdi and Sirajganj.