The Japanese government will provide 500 million Japanese Yen or approximately Tk 49.19 crore to Bangladesh as grant aid for the Primary Education Development Program-3 (PEDP-3).
In this regard, ‘Exchange of Notes’ and ‘Grant Agreements’ are scheduled to be signed on Thursday at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) in city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
ERD Secretary Md Abul Kalam Azad will sign the ‘Exchange of Notes’ and the ‘Grant Agreements’ on behalf of Bangladesh while Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Shiro Sadoshima and JICA Bangladesh Office Chief Representative Dr Takao Toda will sign the ‘Exchange of Notes’ and ‘Grant Agreements’ respectively for the government of Japan, said an ERD official.
The official said that the PEDP-3 will be implemented during 2011-2016 by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. This will be the third contribution of Japan to this program after 2011 and 2012 when they contributed the similar amount in each tranche, reports UNB.
Under this program, the grant will be utilized in the education sector for poverty reduction in Bangladesh. The main objective of this program is to improve the quality of the classroom teaching of primary school teachers through providing modern training in science and mathematics. Besides, supporting equipments relating to teaching of science and mathematics will also be provided under the program to improve the quality of education.
Japan is the single largest bilateral development partner of Bangladesh. Japan has contributed significantly to the overall development of the country. In addition to soft loans for poverty reduction, health and family welfare, education, transportation and communication, electricity and other infrastructure and urban development, Japan is also providing significant amounts of grant aid and technical assistance for different projects.
