Funds to be diverted into rebuilding Sidr-hit schools

Dhaka, Dec 13 (bdnews24.com) – The government and the donors have agreed to divert funds to rebuild the damaged primary schools in the cyclone Sidr-stricken areas, an official said Thursday.

"Money will be diverted from the Primary Education Development Programme II funded jointly by 11 donors to reconstruct the badly-damaged schools," Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, secretary, primary and mass education ministry, told bdnews24.com after an ADP review meeting.

Finance and planning adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam chaired the meeting held at the National Economic Council at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city.

PEDP II is a key part of the government's education for all and poverty reduction agenda linked to the Millennium Development Goals.

This mega project is in operation in all 64 districts.

"Some 4,500 primary schools have been fully or partially damaged by the cyclone Sidr. Of them, 700 were badly damaged," Bhuiyan said.

Another 200 schools were affected by the recent floods, he said.

The ministry has also proposed to the Planning Commission to turn these institutions into schools-cum-disaster shelter homes, the secretary said.

"It requires huge money to make these schools double up as shelters. We'll additional fund to do that," Bhuiyan said.

Some 62,000 primary schools get government benefits. The government fully funds 38,000 schools and partially make funding available to the remainder, according to the ministry.

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