Primary education to see funding cut, madrasah budget to rise

While allocations for primary and mass education in the national budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 are set to decrease compared to both the original and revised budgets of the current fiscal year, the technical and madrasah education sector, along with secondary and higher education, will see increased funding.

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed is scheduled to announce the proposed budget of Tk7,89,999 crore for FY26 on BTV at 3pm today. This is approximately Tk7,000 crore less than the original budget of the current fiscal year and Tk46,000 crore more than the revised budget.

The size of the original budget for the current fiscal year was Tk7,97,000 crore, which was revised down to Tk7,44,000 crore.

According to budget documents from the Finance Division, the primary and mass education ministry will be allocated Tk35,403 crore in the upcoming budget. This is a reduction from the Tk38,819 crore allocated in the current fiscal year's original budget, although it is slightly higher than the Tk35,123 crore in the revised budget.

In contrast, the Technical and Madrasah Education Division is set to receive Tk12,678 crore, an increase from Tk11,783 crore in the current fiscal year's original budget. The revised budget for the sector was Tk9,953 crore. 

An official from the Finance Division attributed the increase to a growing enrolment rate in madrasahs compared to primary schools in recent years. Government data shows that in FY23, there were 2,05,46,091 students at the primary level nationwide, including pre-primary. In comparison, the number of madrasah students in FY24 was 62,16,111.

The budget for the Secondary and Higher Education Division will also see a rise, with Tk47,564 crore allocated for the new fiscal year, up from Tk44,108 crore in the current fiscal year's original budget. However, the revised budget for the sector had decreased to Tk39,233 crore.

Allocations to other sectors

To address the ongoing gas crisis in the country, the power, energy and mineral resources ministry will be allocated almost double the funding compared to the current fiscal year. The upcoming budget includes approximately Tk900 crore for drilling at least five wells to boost domestic gas production. However, the allocation for the Power Division will be significantly decreased compared to both the original and revised budgets of the current fiscal year.

Officials from the Finance Division told TBS that the allocation for the public security sector will be increased in the budget by raising the allocation for the police force, which was affected by the July mass uprising.

While the allocation for the healthcare services sector will increase in the FY26 budget compared to the current year's original budget, the Health Education and Family Welfare Division will see a slight decrease. Meanwhile, the allocation for the agriculture ministry will be kept largely unchanged from the current fiscal year's original budget.

Despite recommendations from the National White Paper Formulation Committee to strengthen the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) and the Statistics and Information Management Division, the allocations for these two divisions in the new budget will be reduced even further than both the original and revised budget allocations of the current fiscal year.

The allocation for the Energy and Mineral Resources Division will be set at Tk2,178 crore in the FY26. In the current fiscal year's original budget, the amount was Tk1,086 crore, and in the revised budget, it was Tk1,053 crore.

Conversely, the new budget will allocate Tk20,342 crore for the Power Division. In the current year's original budget, the allocation for the sector was Tk29,229 crore, and in the revised budget, it stood at Tk21,651 crore.

In the FY26 budget, the allocation for the Public Security Division of the home affairs ministry will be increased to Tk27,001 crore. In the current fiscal year's revised budget, the allocation for the sector was Tk25,634 crore, and in the original budget, it was Tk26,876 crore.

For the new fiscal year, Tk31,022 crore will be allocated to the healthcare services sector. This will be an increase from the Tk21,116 crore in the revised budget, although it is slightly more than the Tk30,125 crore allocated in the current fiscal year's original budget for the sector.

In a recent interview with TBS, the finance adviser said, after the completion of various projects under which healthcare machinery and equipment are purchased, there is not sufficient manpower to operate them. "Therefore, such expenses will be covered from the revenue sector or operational budget in the upcoming budget. This is why the allocation for the healthcare services sector is being increased."

For the new fiscal year, the agriculture ministry will be allocated Tk27,224 crore, which is Tk10 crore more than the current fiscal year's original budget. The revised budget for the sector stood at Tk24,695 crore.

The allocation for the food ministry will be increased in the new fiscal year to expand the government's food-friendly programmes aimed at controlling inflation. For the upcoming fiscal year, the food ministry will be allocated Tk29,541 crore, whereas the amount in the current fiscal year's original budget wa s Tk23,315 crore.