The new 2024-25 fiscal year budget proposes an allocation of Tk94,710 crore for the education sector, an increase from the Tk88,162 crore in the revised budget of the outgoing financial year.
In the proposed budget, the allocation for the Primary and Mass Education Ministry stands at Tk38,819 crore, while the secondary and higher education sector receives Tk44,108 crore, compared to Tk 42,839 crore in the fiscal year 2023-24. Additionally, Tk11,783 crore is allocated for the Technical and Madrasa Education Division, up from Tk10,602 crore in FY2023-24.
While the proposed budget demonstrates the government's commitment to education, experts have called for ensuring that the allocated funds are utilized effectively and efficiently.
The allocation for Bangladesh's education sector accounted for 20.1% of the country's initial national budget in the fiscal year 1972-73.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) 1985 report, during the fiscal year 1973-74, Tk65 crore was earmarked for education, constituting 20.4% of the entire budget.
However, since 1975, the proportion of budget allocation to this sector has decreased.
Educationists have advocated for the allocation of either 30% of the national budget or 7% of the gross domestic product, a proposition also highlighted in the Qudrat-E-Khuda Commission’s 1972 report and endorsed by Unesco recommendations.
They argue that education serves as a fundamental pillar for societal, environmental and agricultural advancement, among others. To fortify this extensive framework with a scientific foundation, budgetary provisions are indispensable to facilitate the training of scientists, educators and technicians across all tiers.
Based on budgetary data, the allocation to the education sector has consistently ranged from 10% to 12% of the total budget in the last decade, with a notable exception being in 2016 when it exceeded 14%.
In the fiscal year 2022-23, the allocation for the education sector was 12.01% of the total budget, representing a mere 1.83% of GDP.
In the proposed budget, the allocation stands at 11.9% of the total budget and 1.7% of GDP.
Over the past two decades, the education budget has consistently hovered around 2% of GDP, a figure that falls below the allocations in several other Asian nations.
According to the Global Education Monitoring Report's comparison of GDP spending in 2020, Bangladesh allocated 2.09% of its GDP towards education, whereas Nepal allocated 4%, Sri Lanka 2.2%, Bhutan 7.36%, Afghanistan 5.6%, India 3.1%, Maldives 5.2% and Pakistan 2.6%.
Expert opinion and development
Educationist Rasheda K Chowdhury told Dhaka Tribune that each year, approximately 20% of the allocated funds for the education sector remained unutilized due to capacity limitations and a shortage of manpower.
Upon reviewing the new budget, she also noted that there was no mention of increasing students' stipends or teachers' salaries.
Educationist Prof Syed Manzoorul Islam meanwhile emphasized that the quality of education could not be improved if primary, secondary, technical and university education were treated separately.
He suggested that all levels of education be organized uniformly to ensure consistency in the pace of education, which he said was essential for bringing about overall welfare.
The professor also recommended that the government enhance monitoring cells to ensure the full utilization of allocations and all teachers were enrolled in training centres.
The proposed budget notes that primary school teachers are undergoing training in five core and three non-core subjects to enhance their skill set. It also mentions that specialized subject-wise training has been extended to 537,000 teachers in English and mathematics.
The proposed budget statement says the diligent efforts of the government have led to notable achievements in the education sector; consequently, Bangladesh has attained the 129th position out of 192 countries in the Human Development Index, surpassing both India and Pakistan.
Recently, two projects titled "Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation" and "Improving Computer Software in Tertiary Education" have been approved at a combined cost of Tk5,236.37 crore. These initiatives aim to enhance higher education in the country and are expected to play a significant role in improving inclusivity and equity in tertiary education.
Over 160 universities are currently offering academic programs in the country, contributing to the development of essential human resources for building a Smart Bangladesh.
Experts have pointed out that Bangladesh has committed to various national and international charters, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In these agreements, the government pledged to allocate a minimum of 4-6% of GDP or 15-20% of the budget to the education sector. However, these commitments are not being fulfilled.
Additionally, experts highlight that national initiatives like the 8th Five Year Plan, Vision 2041 and the National Education Policy 2010 emphasize the importance of investing in human capacity building. Despite these commitments, the goals set in these frameworks are not being met.
Rasheda K Chowdhury expressed her disappointment that the allocation for education remained below 3% of GDP and did not exceed 13% of the total budget.
She said while a significant portion of the budget was allocated to infrastructure development and teachers' salaries, there was insufficient investment in improving the quality of education.
She emphasized the necessity of investing in improving education quality and enhancing teachers' skills. She highlighted the establishment of digital labs in educational institutions by the government but stressed the need for skilled trainers and proper internet access to utilize them effectively.
Furthermore, she noted that although the rate of technical education was gradually increasing, there was a shortage of skilled trainers despite the presence of polytechnics and vocational institutes. Rasheda called for an increase in budget allocation to address this issue.
Considering the objectives of Smart Bangladesh, significant strides have been made in educational infrastructure development.
Since 2009, 33,285 multimedia classrooms and 11,307 computer labs have been established in selected educational institutions. Moreover, plans are underway to set up approximately 64,925 multimedia classrooms and 12,000 additional labs.
Furthermore, nearly 500,000 teachers at the secondary and higher secondary levels have received ICT training since then.
A project is currently in progress to establish 2,607 classrooms equipped with multimedia facilities, 200 language cum ICT labs and 1,000 science labs as well as to supply ICT equipment to 200 government colleges nationwide.
