Primary and Mass Education State Minister Bobby Hajjaj has sought increased financing and technical assistance from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) for ongoing education reforms and new initiatives aimed at ensuring quality, inclusive primary education for every child in Bangladesh.

He made the call while participating in the high-level GPE conference titled “Multiply Possibility: A New Era for Education Financing”, held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) at the ECOSOC Chamber of the UN Headquarters in New York, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education on Thursday.

The conference was jointly organized by the Permanent Missions of Italy and Nigeria to the United Nations and the GPE.

In his remarks, the state minister said the government’s goal is not merely to ensure children’s attendance at school, but also to ensure genuine learning outcomes in classrooms and equip them with skills for their future careers.

“Now, ensuring only children’s presence in schools is not our goal; rather, ensuring their actual learning outcomes in classrooms and future work skills is the government’s main priority,” he said.

He stressed the importance of international partnerships in achieving this objective.

On the sidelines of the conference, Bobby Hajjaj held a meeting with Charles North, GPE’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer.

During the meeting, he highlighted various government initiatives for the development of Bangladesh’s education sector, particularly ongoing reforms in primary education, improving the quality of education, teacher development, technology-based monitoring and measures to improve learning outcomes.

In response to the state minister’s proposals, GPE Deputy CEO Charles North praised Bangladesh’s primary education reform initiatives and gave a positive assurance regarding the expansion of cooperation.

He also expressed interest in working with Bangladesh on the needs and priorities of the country’s education sector.

During the meeting, Bobby Hajjaj invited GPE CEO Laura Frigenti and Deputy CEO Charles North to visit Bangladesh.

The state minister said such a visit would create an opportunity to review on the ground the priorities of Bangladesh’s primary education sector, ongoing reform programmes, and potential areas for future cooperation.

The conference emphasized increasing sustainable financing for education worldwide, strengthening development cooperation, and encouraging new investments and commitments from international partners to ensure quality education.

Representatives of states and governments, education ministers, international organizations, development partners, civil society, foundations, and the private sector participated in the conference.

Bangladesh has already secured a grant of USD 98.85 million from GPE in 2026, according to the ministry.

Bobby Hajjaj participated in the high-level event with the objective of further expanding financing for Bangladesh’s education sector.