Adolescent education project
If it appears
that this project has beneficial value in the life of adolescents, then step by step all
the districts of the country could be brought under it
If the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (DSHSE) took its Generation Breakthrough project seriously, only 25 per cent of the total project money would not have been spent in the project tenure of one and half year ended in December 2016. The project would have been successful by now with all the money spenta total Tk 178.888 crore that from the Netherlands embassy in Dhaka. Generation Breakthrough is a learning programme that aims to groom boys and girls aged between 10 and 19 with the avowed goal to prevent gender-related violence, meet sexual and reproductive healthcare needs and establish the rights of adolescents.
Considering the rather backward society of Bangladesh that is steeped in superstitions, this projects importance cannot be doubted, but sadly its implementing authorities have failed to realize that. Not only has the money of the project come from the outside, the United Nations Population Fund and Planned International has provided the project its technical support. Despite all this help, it is really surprising that the DSHSE could not materialize the goals of the project in its stipulated time frame. During the last 18 months only the project objectives had been set, computers bought, and teachers trained, but the most important part of the project, that is, educating 280,000 boys and girls covering four districts, Dhaka, Barisal, Patuakhali and Barguna yet remains unfulfilled.
It is expected now that the project implementing authorities would this time be able to overcome the shortcomings in the project management and successfully educate the adolescents of the four districts about gender related issues. Over the past few years sexual violence of all kinds has increased in society and grooming boys and girls about problems of the age between10 to 19 and how they can avert them can prove very positive. And Bangladesh does not consist of only four districts and another batch of students of this age group will come in the scene after one batch is over.
After successful implementation of the project in the present four districts, the impact of it will have to be critically assessed in the life of the students covered. If it appears that this project has beneficial value in the life of adolescents, then step by step all the districts of the country could be brought under Generation Breakthrough. Like the Netherlands embassy, the United Nations Population Fund and Planned International, the DSHSE will get many donors to support a good project like this.
