EU provides Tk 4.28b to Bangladesh for education development

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday provided Tk 4.28 billion (46.125 million euro) to the Bangladesh government to support the country’s key national reforms in the education sector, reports BSS.

With this grant, the EU recognises and supports the Bangladesh government’s commitment to the development of human capital, the eradication of poverty and inequalities, along with its commitment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a press release issued by EU Dhaka office said.

“Education is fundamental for the economic growth of a country and remains at the core of EU’s development cooperation,” said the release quoting EU ambassador to Bangladesh Rensje Teerink.

The envoy said the EU remains committed to support Bangladesh in their efforts to strengthen its education system and realise its vision to become a middle-income country.

This is the first disbursement under the EU sector budget support ‘Human Capital Development Programme 2021’, which focuses on strengthening the education and skills sector of Bangladesh with specific focus on the primary, technical vocational education and training.

In line with the National Education Policy and National Skills Development Policy, the EU support aims to contribute Bangladesh government’s own reform agenda and institutional capacity towards a comprehensive education and skills development approach.

The disbursement of this first payment comes after a positive decision of the Budget Support Steering Committee of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development in April 2020.