Staff Correspondent

Farjana Rahman, the former Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Sonargaon and currently the Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) of Dhaka, has been selected as the "Best Upazila Nirbahi Officer in Bangladesh" at the National Primary Education Medal 2026.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman presented her with the prestigious award at a function at Bangladesh -China Friendship Conference Centre on Wednesday.

She received this recognition for her exceptional contributions to improving the quality of primary education, ensuring full student attendance, expanding technology-based learning, upgrading healthcare facilities, organizing co-curricular activities, and modernizing school infrastructure during her successful tenure in Sonargaon upazila.

Upon taking charge, Farjana Rahman brought primary education in Sonargaon under a coordinated development framework.

Under her leadership, the "Mid-Day Meal" program was launched across 113 government primary schools in the upazila to boost student enrollment and attendance. To digitize school administration, she launched dedicated websites for 15 schools and provided basic computer training to 45 students to build their IT skills, distributing laptops to the respective schools to facilitate hands-on practice.

To foster logical thinking, leadership qualities, and self-confidence among young learners, she introduced inter-primary school debate competitions. She also launched a "Special Health Card" for every first-grade student, ensuring priority medical treatment at the Upazila Health Complex and special discount facilities at various private hospitals and clinics. Additionally, classroom-based awareness programs were introduced to sensitize students about the harms of child marriage and drug abuse, as well as to educate them on land services and social values through interactive quizzes and seminars.

To ensure that financial disparity does not disrupt any child's education, she took initiatives to ensure 100% school uniforms by distributing clothes, shoes, bags, and stationery to needy students. She prioritized clean, hygienic, and eco-friendly school environments by providing dustbins, organizing clean-up drives, and planting fruit and flower gardens on school premises.

Furthermore, her administration completed various infrastructural upgrades, including constructing "Parent Sheds" (Abhibhabok Chhayatol) at schools, conducting regular cluster-based inspections to resolve local issues, filling up low-lying school fields, and constructing boundary walls and guide walls. She also distributed sports gear and football jerseys to local schools to encourage physical education and sports among students.