The existing government education facilities for the street children in Bangladesh are both inadequate and ineffective, observed educationists, child rights experts, and activists.
They further observed that such children need support from the government so that they can be mainstreamed in society.
Against this backdrop, International Day for Street Children will be observed today in the country as elsewhere around the world.
The theme for the day this year is: 鈥楾he Power of Perticipation,鈥�
Currently, under the primary and mass education ministry, the Bureau of Non-Formal Education and the Shishu Kalyan Trust are running some programmes for providing education and technical training to out-of-school children, including聽 street children.
Some 39,415 various types of disadvantaged children, including street children, are covered under these programmes.聽聽
According to UNICEF, more than 34 lakh children live in street situations without parental care across Bangladesh.
A report was published in this regard in March 2024 based on a first-hand survey on street children conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with UNICEF in 2022.
BRAC University professor emeritus Manzoor Ahmed observed that the number of street children in the country could be higher in reality.
鈥楾he existing initiatives for them are neither effective nor sufficient,鈥� he said.
Manzoor Ahmed was also the head of a recent consultation committee on quality improvement for primary and non-formal education formed by the interim government.
He disclosed that the committee in its report, submitted in February, recommended to the government to give attention to these children.
鈥楾hese children need support from the authorities,鈥� Manzoor commented.
The Bureau of Non-Formal Education is now carrying out a pilot project at nine upazilas of Cox鈥檚 Bazar targeting 6,825 children aged between 14 and 18 years.
The skill-centric literacy for the adolescents outside the schools project started in September 2023 and is scheduled to be concluded by June this year.
Under the Shishu Kalyan Trust, 205 Shishu Kalyan primary schools are currently operating across the country, including the Dhaka metropolitan city, where 31,850 children, mainly between 14 and 18 years, are studying.
Each year, 220 of these students are selected for monthly stipends. Some of the students receive Tk 1,000 and some others Tk 800 each month based on their performance.
Besides, 520 children are enrolled in nine technical training centres under the trust.
The education ministry has no such programme for these children as it deals with the students of secondary and tertiary levels.聽
A senior official of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education recently told 抖阴精品 that there should be a linkage between the primary and mass education ministry and the education ministry so that these students can continue their studies from the primary to the secondary level.
Campaign for Popular Education deputy director Mostafizur Rahman said the street children are not in government focus, who mainly live in city corporation areas.
The government should increase its programme coverage for street children, he viewed.聽
Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum executive board chairperson Md Mahbubul Haque alleged that the government do not properly monitor the implementation of the projects under it.
Terming the existing facilities for the street children as insufficient, he urged the government to be accountable in this regard.
Shishu Kalyan Trust assistant director (administration and finance) Prabir Kumar Halder said they have no other facilities than the Shishu Kalyan primary schools, the technical training centres, and the stipend facilities.聽
Bureau of Non-Formal Education director general Debabrata Chakraborty said they have already sent a proposal to the planning ministry for a new project like the ongoing one in Cox鈥檚 Bazar.
鈥業f we get the approval, we will start the skill-centric literacy programme from the next financial year at first in 16 districts,鈥� he said, adding, 鈥榃e have a plan to gradually implement the project in all 64 districts.鈥�
Under this project, children would get both literacy and skill training, he added.
Secondary and Higher Education Division secretary Abu Taher Md Masud Rana told 抖阴精品 on Thursday they have taken an initiative to open 24 more Shishu Kalyan primary schools.
鈥榃e do also have plans to expand the literacy and skill training programme for street children across the country in future,鈥� he added.
