Bangladesh, Aug. 10 -- Many students in classes four and five lack basic Bangla reading skills, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj has said, stressing that simply following the prescribed curriculum will not help children who have fallen behind.

He made the remarks at a national consultation workshop on primary education held at a hotel in Dhaka on Sunday.

The workshop, titled "Accelerating Foundational Learning in Bangladesh," was organised by the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education in collaboration with Unicef Bangladesh.

Bobby said the government aims to ensure that no child remains out of school and plans to introduce free school uniforms to encourage attendance. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is schedule...