The Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) submitted a three-point proposal to Chief Advisor Dr Muhammad Yunus, calling for urgent measures to eliminate disparities in education.

Executive Director of CAMPE Rasheda K Choudhury, confirmed it today.

Key recommendations include making primary education free up to the eighth grade and increasing state funding to ensure access to quality education for marginalised communities.

In a statement, CAMPE emphasised the need to address educational inequalities to promote sustainable development and social cohesion.

The organisation expressed particular concern over the Ministry of Education's recently announced Student Admission Policy for the 2025 academic year, which sets admission and development fee limits for secondary, lower-secondary, and affiliated primary schools.

The policy allowed MPO-affiliated schools in Dhaka to charge up to Tk 5,000 for admission, while partially MPO-affiliated schools can charge a maximum of Tk 8,000 for Bangla medium and Tk 10,000 for English medium. Development fees are capped at Tk 3,000, it said.

CAMPE argued that these fees disproportionately burden low-income families, particularly urban poor, slum dwellers, labourers, people with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and domestic workers.

Families with multiple children are likely to face even greater financial strain, exacerbating educational inequalities.

To address these challenges, CAMPE proposed making primary education free up to grade eight, estimating this would require an additional BDT 7,513 crore in government expenditure.

The organisation also called for a review of the new admission policy to lower fees and ensure accessibility for marginalised groups.

"Investing in education is crucial to achieving sustainable development and building an equitable Bangladesh by 2030," CAMPE stated.

They urged the government to prioritise educational reforms and increase funding to create a fairer system for all students.

Quoting chief adviser's earlier remarks, "Remove obstacles, let people progress," CAMPE urged the interim government to take decisive steps to remove barriers for the next generation of students.

"We firmly believe that in the new Bangladesh, achieved through the immense sacrifices of countless students, the interim government will advance efforts to eliminate educational inequality as part of ongoing reforms," it added.

The organisation highlighted that only 691 of the country's 21,086 secondary schools are government-run, according to BANBEIS 2023 data.