Education Minister Dipu Moni on Tuesday informed parliament that the number of students enrolled in 6th grade to 12th grade in schools has increased appreciably by 52.5 percent since 2009 - that is over the tenure of three Awami League-led governments since that year, reports UNB.
Traditionally, Bangladesh and other developing countries have struggled to retain students in schools in these grades. Once students pass the fifth grade, poor parents often take them out of school and put them to work, or to look for work.
The education minister had no hesitation in attributing this success to the government's "pro-poor" initiatives.
She divulged the information in reply to a tabled question from treasury bench MP Mamunur Rashid Kiran.
Dipu Moni said that some 5,500 private educational institutions have been enlisted under the Monthly Pay Order (MPO) over the three terms of the present government.
While replying to a query from AL MP Nurunnabi Chowdhury, the education minister said that there are 701 government colleges across the country, with a total of 25.58 lakh students.
Of the total number, the number of male students is 12.97 lakh and the number of female students is 12.61 lakh.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
