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Published : 29 Apr 2026, 06:30 PM
The government has called upon the business community to support a new initiative providing free jute school bags, uniforms, and shoes to primary school students starting this July.
The request was made during an inter-ministerial meeting held Wednesday at the Secretariat, attended by Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon, along with state ministers for local government, textiles, and culture, and the prime minister's education advisor.
The programme, approved on Apr 22 in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, aims to curb environmental pollution while supporting students.
In the initial phase, two primary schools in every Upazila will be selected by local administrations.
The target group will include 100,000 Class I students, who will receive the kits in the first month.
Each boy will receive a uniform of the same design, and each girl will also receive a uniform of the same design, along with identical jute bags and shoes.
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives State Minister Mir Shahe Alam briefed reporters after the meeting, saying that while the government has already finalised funding for two schools per Upazila, they want to scale up through private sector participation.
"The ministries of textiles, education, and local government are already committed to the initial phase," Alam said.
"We invited business leaders today to see if they wish to join this humanitarian and social initiative. They have made commitments, and once they confirm the numbers, we will decide whether we can cover four or five schools per Upazila instead of two."
The minister noted that since the government was formed near the end of the fiscal year, several electoral pledges are being launched as pilot projects before a "massive" rollout in the next fiscal year.
Education Minister Milon revealed that the Bangladesh Jute Mills (BJM) has already committed to providing 100,000 units for the pilot phase.
