শুক্রবার, ১৭ এপ্রিল ২০২৬, ০৮:৪৬ অপরাহ্ন
DHAKA, April 17, 2026 (BSS) – The government has mapped out a plan to double the amount of money of existing scholarships for meritorious and marginalized students at all tiers of education, from primary to undergraduate studies.
The initiative is designed to enhance financial support to the students in congruity with the current market prices of essential goods and the cost of living to ensure quality of education.
Following a decade without adjustments, this policy shift will see the government’s annual expenditure on scholarships rise from Taka 184 crore to approximately Taka 368.16 crore.
The Education Ministry confirmed that the plan was made during a review meeting on April 6, covering all categories of stipends, including PSC, JSC, SSC, HSC, and graduation.
Talking to BSS, Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon stated that the government is committed to providing incentives to keep students in the mainstream of the education.
“We want to make the living standards of students consistent and further inspire them in their studies,” the minister said, adding that the government is also considering increasing the total number of scholarship recipients.
Regarding this matter, Joint Secretary (Secondary-1) of the Secondary and Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Education Md. Saidur Rahman told BSS that a primary decision has been made in a recent review meeting to double the rates of all types of education scholarships in the country.
Based on that decision, he mentioned, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has been asked to submit a comprehensive and revised proposal.
He said, “Once DSHE submits the proposal to increase the scholarship amounts, policy approval will be sought from the Ministry of Education. Subsequently, it will be forwarded to the Finance Division for the necessary budget allocation. This decision will be implemented promptly upon receiving the required funds from the Finance Division”.
According to the draft proposal from the DSHE, monthly merit scholarships in primary level will increase from Taka 300 to Taka 600, while general scholarships from Taka 225 to Taka 450.
In Junior (JSC), merit scholarships will rise to Taka 900 (from Taka 450), while general stipends will be Taka 600.
In SSC Level, the merit rate will jump from Taka 600 to Taka 1,200, with general scholarships doubling to Taka 700.
In HSC level, merit scholarships will increase to Taka 1,650 (from Taka 825), and general ones to Taka 750.
In graduation (Honours), merit scholars will receive Taka 2,250 monthly, up from Taka 1,125.
In addition to monthly stipends, one-time annual grants will also be doubled. For instance, the annual grant for HSC merit scholarships will rise from Taka 1,800 to Taka 3,600.
The expanded financial support is not limited to general merit; it will also be extended to marginalized groups, including minority communities, tribal students, and individuals with visual or physical disabilities and autism.
The DSHE has announced that scholarships are being distributed across various levels among a total of 169,659 students, ranging from primary to graduation levels.
Within this distribution, there are 82,500 students at the primary (PSC) level. There are 46,200 students at the junior level, 25,500 at the secondary (SSC) level, and 10,500 at the higher secondary (HSC) level. Additionally, approximately 4,959 students are being awarded scholarships in special categories for higher education (graduation and others).
