The syndicates of the two major public universities Friday approved their budgets for the next fiscal year with provisions to spend less than 11% on education and research and about 80% on salaries and pension for teachers and staff.
The Dhaka University syndicate approved the annual budget for the fiscal year 2013-14 on Thursday with a provision to spend 76% on salaries and pension and only 10.49% on education.
The total budget for the FY2013-14 is estimated at Tk3.14bn, up from Tk3.02bn last year.
Tk329.9m has been allocated for the education sector out of the total budget, up from Tk315.0m last year.
Tk2.045bn has been allocated for the salaries of teachers, officials and employees along with Tk375m for pension facilities.
The rest will be spent as the cost of repairs, preservation and maintenance.
The syndicate members approved the budget in a meeting chaired by vice-chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique.
When asked about poor allocation for education and research compared to salaries and pension, he told the Dhaka Tribune: “It is a deficit budget. We will seek fund from the government for higher allocation [for education and research].”
Allocation for education and research in Chittagong University is even less than that of Dhaka University. For Chittagong University, allocation in this sector is a meagre 7.68%.
The Chittagong University (CU) syndicate also Friday approved a Tk1.346bn budget for the fiscal year 2013-14.
In the budget, Tk103.4m has been proposed for education and research, Tk861.1m for salaries and allowances for teachers and staff and Tk211.5m for pension.
Tk15.7m has been allocated for maintenance and repair and Tk11.8m for buying instrument and wealth while the other sectors will get Tk142.6m.
The budget was approved in a joint meeting of the university’s syndicate and finance committee.
In this fiscal year the University Grant Commission (UGC) will allocate TK1.203bn for CU.
When asked about the budget, CU Accountant Faridul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune that the budget attached the highest priority to the salaries of teachers, officials and employees and the improvement of the institution.
“We have to manage the deficit budget from our own sources,” said the official.
CU Vice-chancellor professor Anwarul Azim Arif presided over the joint meeting of the syndicate and finance committee at CU Fine Arts Institution in the port city.
Pro-VC Professor Dr Ifthekhar Uddin Chouwdhury was also present at the meeting.
Chittagong University will formally place the budget at the 25th annual senate meeting on the campus on July 5.