In the last 15 years, implementation work of education infrastructure improvement schemes have been completed in all eight districts under Rajshahi division.
The projects, costing around Taka 3,560.72 crore, were implemented in 1,557 educational institutions both government and non-government ones, while implementation works in 864 other institutions are progressing fast with an estimated cost of around Taka 927.48 crore.
Altaf Hossain, Superintending Engineer of Education Engineering Department (EED), said they have extended vertically the work of 362 selected private secondary schools, while improvement works on 54 others are progressing.
He said they have constructed necessary infrastructure at selected private colleges in order to ensure quality education improvement with assistance of information and communication technology.
Besides, work on improvement of the education environment has been implemented in six madrasas with financial support from Islamic Development Bank (IDB) at a cost of around Taka 5.30 crore.
Elevation works on 351 selected non-government secondary schools were completed and works on 39 others are advancing.
Technical School and College has been established one each in eight Upazilas, while the construction works are progressing in three other upazilas with total involvement of around Taka 165.06 crore. The institutions will contribute a lot towards expansion of technical education here.
Capacity building works of two technical schools and colleges were completed, while the similar works on five others are progressing at present.
On behalf of the "Secondary Education Sector Investment Programme", 97 institutions were elevated and 242 madrasas were brought under improvement in the division.
Scopes of science education has been expanded in ten government colleges and works for bringing 17 more colleges under the same process is going on.
Twenty-seven post-graduate colleges in the district headquarters have been improved to ensure quality education.
Constructions of new buildings in 543 government and non-government colleges have been completed and the same works in 398 institutions are progressing.
Five-storey academic buildings were constructed in eight government secondary schools and similar height buildings are being constructed in 22 other schools.
"There is no deficit in the field of educational infrastructure in both the urban and rural areas at present making teachers, students and others concerned happy," said Prof Abdul Khaleque, Principal of Rajshahi College.
Advocate Layeb Uddin Lablu, Chairman of Bagha Upazila in the district, told BSS that massive infrastructural improvement has given new looks to the educational institutions in both urban and rural areas in the region during the period of the present government.
Multi-storied buildings were constructed in many of the schools, madrasas and colleges in the rural areas contributing a lot towards reducing the difference between the rural and urban areas.
All the selected non-government secondary schools located in upazila headquarters were transformed into model schools. In addition to new building construction, repairing, renovation and furniture supply works on the government and private schools have been implemented.
Advocate Layeb Lablu said at present even in the remote areas no institution with mud-wall or tin-shed building exists, this is a great achievement of the present government and the government should be lauded for its initiatives.
He, however, said time has come to ensure quality of education in all the institutions equally as it's very important for creating skilled workforce.
"We have no more scope of denying the contribution of the present government in terms of elevating the sector of education infrastructure," said Jahangir Alam Khan, a development activist, who is working for improving the living and livelihood conditions of the rural people, including the ethnic minority ones.
He said development of the education sector is very vital for generating responsible citizens as a whole.
