It is a matter of concern that the budget allocation for the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education as a share of total government expenditure decreased from 6.51% in FY17 to 4.56% in FY24 -- a sharp decline that begs the question: Are we serious about educating our future generation?
Much has been written, in this newspaper and others, about our economic ambitions and indeed, our achievements till date.
Yet, it is impossible to overstate enough the importance of shaping the future generation and aligning them to the needs of the 21st century, as well as all the challenges Bangladesh will undoubtedly face in its road to 2041 -- of becoming a prosperous, smart Bangladesh.
To that end, education remains the best possible approach for preparing the future leaders of Bangladesh and we also see the boons of education repeatedly being spoken of by the authorities concerned.
Yet, it is unfortunate that time and time again, we fail to put our money where our mouths are -- literally.
By shirking from investing in primary education, societal issues such as child marriage, child labour, and inequity threaten to exacerbate -- and this is not what we want for a nation that is looking to be taken seriously as a global economy.
It is imperative that the authorities concerned take a long hard look at this decrease of spending towards primary education and address it immediately. Failure to do so could undo much of the progress we have seen over the last decade and a half. Children are the future of this country, and a sound education will be the foundation on which they take this nation to where it wants to reach.
