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Primary students to receive stipend before Eid


Published : 26 Apr 2021 09:39 PM | Updated : 27 Apr 2021 01:11 AM

Primary school students are going to receive six months due of stipend before the upcoming Eid-Ul-Fitr as the government embarks on sending money to recipients’ mothers securely using money-transferring apps. 

The money will be sent to the mothers of the students, said Md Yousuf Ali, director of Disbursement of Primary Education Stipend using mobile banking, yesterday.

From July to December last year, the arrears of the stipend of 14 million students at the primary level will reach their mothers through the postal department's digital financial service 'Nagad'.

Md Yousuf Ali said, "Since fraud is being reported in different places, piloting will be conducted in 5 Upazilas in the first phase within the next week. If all the reports are positive, the stipend money will be sent across the country within the next one week."

"Basically, this strategy has been adopted to avoid the deception of the fraudulent cycle. We have also talked with Bangladesh Bank and law enforcement agencies so that everyone can have a watchful eye," he added.

The director further mentioned that, the money of the next three months will be sent once the arrears of six months are sent safely. That means, money from January to March this year will likely to be disbursed between May and June.

This scheme of distributing primary stipends in Corona pandemic was closed for about a year. Later last December, the Department of Primary Education signed an agreement with 'Nagad'. Within three months of the agreement, a database with information about 1.5 crore students and their mothers has been formed.

Earlier, the government used to distribute stipends through another mobile financial service 'SureCash' for the last few years. There was a service charge and cash-out charge of Tk 21.5 per thousand. Now all in all, the government has to pay Tk 7 per thousand in cash.