New EU program of EUR 205mn to strengthen Education in Bd

Dhaka, 5 February – Today, with the launch of the Human Capital Development Programme 2021 (HCDP-21) the European Union confirms its continued commitment to Bangladesh for the development of the country’s Education sector. This EU-funded programme aims to provide improved quality education and training to Bangladesh’s young population. It will promote the implementation of long-term sustainable Education policies towards a lifelong learning approach, bringing together primary education and TVET. Overall, HCDP-21 supports Bangladesh to progress towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 4 on quality education.
As stated by the Secretary of ERD, Monowar Ahmed: “The Government of Bangladesh acknowledges the longstanding support of the EU in a sector as crucial as education. We are looking forward to further strengthening our solid partnership with one of our key donors in Bangladesh and together making an important contribution to reaching the SDGs by 2030”.
Ambassador of the European Union, Rensje Teerink, mentioned: “With a working population anticipated to increase by 21 million people over the next decade, continued investment in quality primary education and establishment of a sustainable TVET system is critical to enhance employment opportunities, to use the potential of the demographic dividend and contribute significantly to inclusive growth and poverty reduction. The EU contribution is meant to support Education policy improvements and system strengthening with a specific focus on primary education and TVET”.
Bangladesh has made commendable progress over the past decades in human development, including in the education sector, with near universal access to primary education and gender equity at the primary and secondary education levels. Basic education and a skilled and capable workforce are a precondition for inclusive growth, key for Bangladesh to become a middle-income country.
The new EU Education programme operates through a budget support modality based on sector performance indicators, with a total amount of EUR 205 million (EUR 150 million for primary education, EUR 50 million for TVET and EUR 5 million for complementary Technical Assistance) to be implemented in the next 4 years.
Through this programme, the EU supports, together with other Development Partners, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education implementing Bangladesh’s National Primary Education Programme (PEDP4), putting special emphasis on the following key targets: quality education through better trained teachers and revised curricula, including learning materials, increased enrollment of out-of-school children into the formal education system and equal access. TVET, the EU programme with the Ministry of Education, aims at contributing to the establishment of a sustainable and comprehensive TVET system and increasing the number of certified teachers, the enrollment rate of TVET students and degrees recognition through a National Qualification Framework. HCDP21 additionally seeks reinforcing planning and monitoring capabilities of the partners’ institutions. – EU Press release