VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKA #2485/01 1200602
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 300602Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY DHAKA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7442
INFO RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 7410
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1094
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 9069

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 002485 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2016 
TAGS: BG PGOV PHUM PREL PTER
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Patricia Butenis, reason para 1.4 (d) 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Ambassador Butenis and USAID Director 
called on Dr. Md. Osman Farruk, Minister of Education on 23 
April 2006. The planned 30 minute call lasted almost one 
hour, with the Minister touching on everything from the 
BDG,s successes in education to his predictions on the 
upcoming election and the future leadership of his party, 
Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and the country.  Minister 
reiterated the open and frank relationship he has maintained 
with the USG and highlighted the importance for both sides of 
a continued strong Bangladesh-USG association. End Summary 
 
¶2. (SBU) Ambassador made her initial courtesy call on Dr. Md. 
Osman Farruk, Minister of Education on 23 April 2006. 
Ambassador opened the dialogue noting with appreciation how 
much the USG valued his views because of his long experience 
with the World Bank and as one of a few cabinet members able 
to understand where we were coming from and to articulate 
where the BDG was going. Minister responded he has found the 
exchange with previous ambassadors fruitful and hopes the USG 
felt the same. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Ambassador inquired about the BDG,s plans for 
improving education. Minister highlighted how dedicated the 
Prime Minister is to education and in particular girl,s 
education. Figures bear out their claims of success with 
enrollment at 93% and almost gender parity between girl and 
boy students. He pointed to this government,s girl,s 
stipend program as a positive innovation for keeping girls in 
school. The program provides the families of girl students a 
monthly stipend for keeping the girls in school as long as 
they have 75% attendance, are not married and maintain 40% 
marks. He mentioned they have around 4.0 million girls 
receiving stipends. He said, this not only contributes to a 
better educated female populace, but would help in health and 
 
family planning by delaying marriages and thus deferring 
first birth. He takes credit for breaking the mindset of 
cheating as a previously acceptable practice. At first he 
encountered opposition amongst his fellow cabinet members, 
but eventually gained their support. Also, he has turned 
textbook publishing over to the private sector in an attempt 
to reduce corruption in the production and distribution. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Madrassah education is an area of concern to many in 
the government. He has pushed to have the madrassahs come 
under the Madrassah Board requiring them to teach the 
government curriculum. This type of madrassah is referred to 
as &alia.8 He indicated the BDG is making headway in this 
area, but not with those madrassahs not under BDG control 
called &qwami8 madrassahs. 
 
¶5. (C) Responding to his prediction on the upcoming election, 
he said his analysis indicated the BNP has around 40-45% 
popular support with around 35-40% for the Awami League (AL). 
The swing is Jamaat Islami (JI) with around 8%. The other 
parties, including Ershad,s, are too inconsequential to be 
considered in the mix. On seats, he predicted the BNP would 
win around 160 seats with JI another 15 and AL around 110. 
With the BNP-JI coalition still strong, he predicts they will 
win again. The Ambassador noted, if the Minister was correct, 
the BNP would have a majority of seats without the JI. He did 
not respond. 
 
¶6. (C) On the future of the BNP, he highlighted the growing 
strength of PM,s son, Tarique Rahman, within the party with 
his following considered as the &new generation8 of the 
BNP. The Minister admitted this has created tensions between 
the BNP old and the new guard. The Minister indicated how 
impressed he has been on Tarique,s political acumen. He told 
the Ambassador that when he returned to Bangladesh in 2001 to 
run for office, he was directed to Tarique who handed him an 
envelope which contained information on the constituency 
where he was running, including talking points on issues of 
importance to the people of the area and what party messages 
should be delivered. The Minister said that at Tarique,s 
residence there is a battery of computers filled with data 
and analyses of the 300 parliamentary districts. He also 
noted that in moving around the countryside, Tarique has 
along with him Ministers or MPs from those areas, but they 
have taken back seats to him. 
 
¶7. (C) On the future government, assuming a BNP victory, he 
said that Khaleda Zia would continue as PM as she still has 
things she wants to complete, with Tarique taking on an 
influential Ministry, (none was named). To the Ambassador,s 
query would the PM hand the leadership over to Tarique at 
some point and move on to be President, the Minister said 
emphatically that was not in the plans. He did say that the 
face of a BNP cabinet would be different. He pointed out the 
current cabinet initially was to have only 29 members, but 
after Tarique and some of his colleagues heard about it, they 
realized there would be little or no room for new ministers, 
so Tarique insisted upon an expanded cabinet including State 
or junior ministers. The Minister relayed he had problems 
with his State minister until he made it clear to the PM, the 
education portfolio was his and he would set the policy and 
trends and the State minister was there to follow. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The meeting closed with a clear indication from the 
Minister of his desire to continue the relationship he has 
established with previous ambassadors. Ambassador Butenis 
again indicated the value the USG places on the relationship 
and sees it continuing. 
CHAMMAS