The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Primary and Mass Education this year received an allocation of Tk31,618 crore which is less than the previous fiscal.
Experts said less allocation for the fastest expanding education sector is unfortunate and will be a barrier to ensuring quality education for all.
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhit proposed Tk17,103 crore for the Education Ministry and Tk14,502 crore for the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education for the fiscal year 2015-2016.
The total amount for the education sector is about 10.71% of the total budget which was 11.94% in the revised budget for 2014-2015.
In 2013-2014 fiscal year, the allocation was 13.33% of the total budget outlay.
Educationist Jamilur Reza Chowdhury said decrease in the allocation for the education sector is unfortunate. “I am yet to see the whole budget. But education should get the top priority.”
Another educationist Anisuzzaman, Professor Emeritus at the University of Dhaka, said education sector is one of the fast growing and expanding sectors.
“Curtailing allocation for the education sector is unfortunate.”
“Allocation should have to be more as the sector is flourishing fast but a cut in it is unfortunate.”
Rasheda K Chowdhury, adviser to a caretaker government said: “It is frustrating. The finance minister has mentioned the challenges in his budget speech but reflection of his will was not projected in the allocation.”
The budget for the education sector is receiving inflated allocation around the globe but here in Bangladesh it is getting curtailed, she wondered.
There are many directives but to implement those the budget requires 4% allocation of the total GDP while it is only 1.8% in this year’s budget, she observed.
Plan for Education Sector
Muhith said his government is planning to expand primary education up to class VIII by 2018.
He said in order to retain the benefit of 100% enrollment, the government had taken up a school feeding programme for about 33,90,000 children in all primary schools of 93 upazilas.
The minister said formulation of School Feeding Policy is also in the offing and as per planning, 1,500 primary schools, 1019 primary schools had been constructed in villages having no school and the rest are under construction.
He also said efforts are on to make all activities of primary education field administration IT-based.
In addition, tribal children are now able to undertake primary education in their own language as primary education curriculum has been developed in eleven tribal languages.
Muhith in his speech said to expand quality education, his government will continue to provide special trainings to the teachers of English and Mathematics.
Provision of stipends for girl students at the graduate and equivalent levels will also be continued from the profit of Tk75 crore earned from Tk1,000 crore seed money of the Education Assistance Trust Fund of the Hon’ble Prime Minister.
For quality improvement of Technical Education, Muhith said a project of Tk924 crore is being implemented to establish one technical school in each of 100 upazilas.
In addition, development projects have been undertaken for setting-up of a technical school in every divisional town, poly-technical institutes in 23 districts, 4 technical institutes for women in 4 divisions, and an engineering college in every division.
In order to ensure greater use of IT in education, alongside other initiatives, we are developing websites for all educational institutions. The work of establishing resource centres at 128 upazilas is progressing fast.
