(August 20, 2009) The British government has guaranteed that 600,000 poverty stricken
school children in Bangladesh will continue their education, officials say. The Department
for International Development (Dfid) says that it has provided over $30m for pre-school
and primary education. The grant is an emergency package which will ensure schools
across the country can stay open. The money will be used to make up a shortfall in
funding education. The Dfid grant will keep 25,000 non-formal schools open and 25,000
teachers in their jobs for the duration of the school year. It will also help older
children by making sure 2,500 after-school clubs for teenagers, 100 community centres
and 150 secondary schools stay open. The UK says that 65% of pupils who will benefit
from the grant are girls. The funds will go through BRAC - a well established Bangladeshi
non governmental organisation that provides schools, teachers and after-school clubs
for millions of children in Bangladesh. Founded in 1972, BRAC also provides healthcare,
legal and other services to poor communities across Bangladesh, complementing services
provided by the government. About 67 million adults in Bangladesh are illiterate,
42 million of whom are women. Less than two-thirds of children complete five years
of basic education and three million children in total still have no access to education.