Govt to provide free school uniforms, bags from July: Education minister
The initiative is aimed at ensuring equal access to essential educational materials for students, with both public and private sectors contributing
The government will start providing free uniforms, shoes and bags to primary and secondary level students from July, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon said today (29 April).
The announcement was made at an inter-ministerial meeting held at the education ministry's secondary and higher education division at the secretariat this morning.
According to the presentation at the meeting, the programme will initially begin in government primary schools across 25 upazilas or thanas in eight divisions, covering around 3,522 schools and nearly one lakh students.
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The initiative is aimed at ensuring equal access to essential educational materials for students, with both public and private sectors contributing, the minister told reporters after the meeting.
"The government has taken the initiative to provide school dresses, shoes and bags free of cost. Alongside the public sector, the private sector has also extended support. BGMEA has promised uniforms for one lakh students," he said.
He added that the programme will start as a pilot in July and later be expanded gradually.
"We will begin with government primary schools and then include Ebtedayee madrashas. After completing the primary level, we will extend it to secondary schools," the minister said.
Each student will receive one set of uniform, shoes and a bag under the pilot programme, he added, noting that expansion will depend on future capacity.
Regarding the uniform design, he said all government primary school students will have a standard dress, with separate designs for boys and girls.
Ebtedayee students will have a slightly different uniform, and the colours will be announced soon, he added.
The education minister said the programme will be implemented by the education ministry with support from cultural ministry, textiles and jute ministry and local government ministry.
Senior government officials, including advisers and state ministers from multiple ministries, along with representatives from BGMEA and other business bodies, attended the meeting.
