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Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MOPME)

22. Bangladesh is committed to the World Declaration on Education for All
(Jomtein, March 1990) and the Convention on the Rights of Children (New York,
September 1990). Recognising the importance of primary and non-formal education in
ensuring education for all and eradicating illiteracy, the Government created a new
Division called Primary and Mass Education Division in August 1992, which has since
become the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MOPME). MOPME is responsible
for policy formulation, planning, evaluation and execution of plans and initiating
legislative measures relating to primary and non-formal education. The following
directorates and institutions are under the authority of MOPME:

23. Directorate of Primary Education (DPE): This Directorate controls,
coordinates and regulates the field administration of the primary education. The
Directorate of Primary Education was created in 1981 with a view to giving full attention
to primary education as an independent organization. It is headed by the Director
General. Under this Directorate there are six Divisional Offices, 64 District Offices and
481 Upazila/Thana Offices. This directorate collects, processes and disseminates
educational information and statistics and publishes annual reports on primary
education. The MIS unit of this directorate has developed decentralised EMIS at the
district level and maintains a database for all types of primary level institutions.

24. National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE): This is an apex
institution for training and research in the field of primary education which is headed by
a Director and governed by a Board of Governors headed by the Secretary, MOPME.
There are 53 government private training institutes and one private primary training
institute. They offer a one-year Certificate in Education course for teachers of primary
schools.

25. Compulsory Primary Education Implementation Monitoring Unit
(CPEIMU): After the enactment of Primary Education (Compulsory) Act of 1990, the
Government created the CPEIMU in 1991, headed by a Director General with the
responsibility to coordinate, monitor and evaluate the progress of compulsory primary
education. It conducts the National Child Education and Literacy Survey. The unit,
through NGOs, establishes primary schools in villages where these do not exist. It also
conducts audits of registered non-government primary schools.

26. Bureau of Non-Formal Education: This bureau (newly created in April 2005)
is responsible for the management of the non-formal education sub-sector. This is
headed by a Director General, responsible for 64 offices at the district level.

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