Photo: BSS

RANGPUR, Aug 31, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Primary and Mass Education 
Bobby Hajjaj, MP, has said that through the school feeding programme (SFP), 
the government will reduce the dropout rate in primary schools to zero.

"The real success of the SFP will depend not only on the number of meals 
distributed but also on how many children are coming to school regularly 
through it, how much the dropout rate is decreasing and how much the 
participation and interest of students in the classroom and learning is 
increasing," he said. 

Bobby Hajjaj said this while speaking as the chief guest at the orientation 
of head teachers and exchange of views on the project titled "Feeding Program 
in Government Primary Schools" organised at the District Shilpakala Academy 
in Dinajpur town on Monday, a PID press release said here this afternoon.

He said that the SFP is an important tool in achieving the goal of reducing 
school dropout to zero.

The State Minister said, "Our goal is to bring every child to school and 
ensure proper education of every child. The first responsibility is to bring 
children to school." 

The SFP is playing an important role in encouraging students to come to 
school, filling their nutritional deficiencies and creating an attentive 
environment in the classroom.

For this reason, emphasizing on verifying the real results and regular 
evaluation at every stage of the SFP, he said, the programme will be launched 
in every government primary school in the country from 2027.

He said, "We are not working to find mistakes and blame anyone. Our aim is to 
identify where the problem is, why it is happening and how to solve it 
quickly."

He called for making the SFP more effective by eliminating the weaknesses by 
giving importance to the practical experience and recommendations of field-
level officials.

Bobby Hajjaj said, students will come to school, stay in school and learn-- 
these three things must be ensured together. 

He mentioned that not only should attendance at school be increased, but also 
whether the students present are truly learning or not should be regularly 
verified.

Expressing his determination to make primary education more effective, child-
friendly and result-oriented, he said that the government's goal is to build 
an education system where no child will be out of school and every child who 
comes to school will have the opportunity to receive quality education. 

He expressed hope that the SFP will play an important role in implementing 
this goal.

The programme was chaired by Dinajpur Deputy Commissioner Md Rafiqul Islam. 

Director (Administration) of the Directorate of Primary Education Mohammad 
Kamrul Hasan, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education 
Israt Jahan, Project Director of the School Feeding Project Md Abul Amin and 
Dinajpur Superintendent of Police Md Zedan Al Musaand attended the event as 
special guests.

Apart from this, head teachers of about 450 government primary schools in 
Dinajpur district were present at the programme.