The government plans to distribute shoes, socks, and school dresses to government primary school students by July under its 180-day programme. In the first phase, around one lakh first-grade students will receive shoes.
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj announced the plan on Thursday during a meeting with leading footwear and leather goods manufacturers at the ministry’s conference room in Dhaka.
He said the initiative aims to support children from government primary schools across the country. Along with shoes and socks, students will also receive school dresses and jute-made school bags free of cost.
According to the state minister, the pilot programme will begin with first-grade students from two selected government primary schools in every upazila. The government expects the limited-scale rollout to help complete the programme quickly and effectively.
Bobby Hajjaj said major local companies have agreed to support the initiative through their corporate social responsibility, or CSR, programmes. Representatives from footwear and manufacturing companies, including Bata Bangladesh, Apex Footwear, PRAN-RFL Group, and Bashundhara Group, attended the meeting.
The state minister said the government wants to ensure equal quality standards for all shoes distributed under the programme. He warned that major differences in quality could create unequal experiences among children.
To address this issue, he directed officials to form a technical committee. The committee will include ministry officials, technical experts, representatives from the Leather Institute, engineering universities, and partner companies.
He also stressed the need for international standards in design, certification, and quality checks during production.
Secretary of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education Md. Sakhawat Hossain and other senior ministry officials were present at the meeting.
The ministry now plans to complete technical preparations and begin distribution activities within the government’s announced timeline.
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