Govt to double amount of scholarship to ensure quality education

The government has mapped out a plan to double the amount of money of existing scholarships for meritorious and marginalised students at all tiers of education, from primary to undergraduate studies. 

The initiative is designed to enhance financial support to the students in congruity with the current market prices of essential goods and the cost of living to ensure quality of education.

Following a decade without adjustments, this policy shift will see the government's annual expenditure on scholarships rise from Tk184 crore to approximately Tk368.16 crore. 

The education ministry confirmed that the plan was made during a review meeting on 6 April, covering all categories of stipends, including PSC, JSC, SSC, HSC, and graduation.

Talking to BSS, education minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon stated that the government is committed to providing incentives to keep students in the mainstream of the education.  

"We want to make the living standards of students consistent and further inspire them in their studies," the minister said, adding that the government is also considering increasing the total number of scholarship recipients.

Regarding this matter, Joint Secretary (Secondary-1) of the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education Md Saidur Rahman told BSS that a primary decision has been made in a recent review meeting to double the rates of all types of education scholarships in the country. 

Based on that decision, he mentioned, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has been asked to submit a comprehensive and revised proposal.

He said, "Once DSHE submits the proposal to increase the scholarship amounts, policy approval will be sought from the Ministry of Education. Subsequently, it will be forwarded to the Finance Division for the necessary budget allocation. This decision will be implemented promptly upon receiving the required funds from the Finance Division".

According to the draft proposal from the DSHE, monthly merit scholarships in primary level will increase from Tk300 to Tk600, while general scholarships from Tk225 to Tk450.

In Junior (JSC), merit scholarships will rise to Tk900 (from Taka 450), while general stipends will be Tk600.

In SSC Level, the merit rate will jump from Tk600 to Tk1,200, with general scholarships doubling to Tk700.

In HSC level, merit scholarships will increase to Tk1,650 (from Taka 825), and general ones to Tk750.

In graduation (Honours), merit scholars will receive Tk2,250 monthly, up from Tk1,125.

In addition to monthly stipends, one-time annual grants will also be doubled. For instance, the annual grant for HSC merit scholarships will rise from Tk1,800 to Tk3,600.

The expanded financial support is not limited to general merit; it will also be extended to marginalised groups, including minority communities, tribal students, and individuals with visual or physical disabilities and autism.

The DSHE has announced that scholarships are being distributed across various levels among a total of 169,659 students, ranging from primary to graduation levels. 

Within this distribution, there are 82,500 students at the primary (PSC) level. There are 46,200 students at the junior level, 25,500 at the secondary (SSC) level, and 10,500 at the higher secondary (HSC) level. Additionally, approximately 4,959 students are being awarded scholarships in special categories for higher education (graduation and others).