Free school uniform scheme faces delivery hurdles

Bangladesh’s plan to provide free uniforms, shoes and jute bags to primary school students is facing questions over delays and accountability, with supplies collected at the central level but no clear information on how many children have actually received them.

The government initially planned to launch the pilot distribution in July and reach more than 350,000 students by the end of October. However, as of November 7, no consolidated figures were available on the number of schools covered, students served or areas where distribution remained pending.

A Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) notice issued on September 20 said 205,000 sets of uniforms, 67,900 pairs of shoes and 115,216 school bags had been stored at its premises. District primary education officers were asked to collect the supplies between September 20 and 28 for distribution to selected schools.

But schools appear to be still waiting for clear instructions.

Shafikul Islam Khokon, headteacher of Kuril Government Primary School in Dhaka, told the Daily Observer that his school had received no official communication about the initiative.

“We know nothing about this. When we visit the Directorate of Primary Education, we see many shoes kept there, but we do not know who they are meant for. Our department has not sent us any letter either,” he said.

The programme was announced by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Parliament on April 8, initially targeting 200,000 primary students. A meeting chaired by him on April 22 decided to launch it on a pilot basis, covering two schools in each upazila.