23 August 2009, Dhaka. BRAC is pleased to announce that an agreement was signed on August 21st with the UK Department for International Development (DFID) under which DFID will provide a grant of  £18.5 million (BDT 2,049 million) to support the operation of BRAC’s Education Programme for the financial year 2009-2010.

The Programme is funded by a consortium of donors including the Government of the United Kingdom.

The agreement  was signed by Mr. Chris Austin, Country Representative of DFID Bangladesh, and Dr. Mahabub Hossain, Executive Director of BRAC, at a simple ceremony in front of the Uttar Korail BRAC primary school in Gulshan’s Korail slum.

DFID Country Representative Chris Austin and BRAC Executive Director Dr. Mahabub Hossain sign the agreement in a BRAC Primary school yard at Korail Slum, Gulshan

Under the terms of the grant, funds will primarily be used to support the running of 30,000 pre-primary and 33,000 primary BRAC schools across the country. Part of the funds will be allocated for building capacity of teachers working in secondary schools as well as for livelihood and skills development training for adolescent and youth under BRAC’s adolescent development and continuing education programmes.

While signing the agreement, Mr. Chris Austin reaffirmed UK government’s commitment to ensure every child's right to education. He said, “This is a grant for BRAC that’s going to help a million boys and girl come to a school like this, who otherwise won’t have a chance to go to school. The other important thing to remember is the boys and girls will stay in school; the quality of their learning will be really good. The opportunities they will have as individuals will be good and the idea is they will graduate in to the state system.  We are giving all the children the best possible chance”.

Dr. Hossain said “ This generous support provided by DFID will help BRAC continue its education programme at the same level during the current world financial crisis and continue to provide basic education to one million children left out of the formal education system and to enhance the quality of 2000 poorly performing secondary schools.”.