Poor education budget frustrates academics

Highlights:

• Tk 39,961 crore allocated for secondary and higher education
• Tk 31,761 crore allocated for primary and mass education
• Tk 9,727 crore allocated for technical and madrasa education
• Expanding online education
• Continuation of stipends
• Increase the spending capacity of the sector
• Monitor quality of spending

The education sector, although deemed a priority sector, yet again saw a poor allocation in the national budget for FY23 that led to frustrations among academics, who say it is undesirable and hinders the building of a prosperous nation. 

The education budget has been around 12% in recent years, despite demands from the educationists to push it to 20% of the national budget.

The Uncesco also recommended to allocate between 4-6% of the GDP for the education sector, but the proportion of GDP share for public education has hovered around 2%, which is also the lowest in South Asia. 

Professor Siddiqur Rahman, a member of National Education Policy 2010 and former director of Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University, told The Business Standard that the allocation for education should be 4-6% of the GDP but the proposed 2% is "regrettable".  

Rasheda K Chowdhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education (Campe), said, "The government did not take our recommendation of allocating 4-6% of GDP and 20% of national budget. Actually, it is impossible to provide quality education and face other key challenges with such budget allocation."

"The bad news is that once gain the expectation of a proportionately higher allocation and a priority to much needed educational reform have been dashed," said Manzoor Ahmed, professor emeritus of Brac University.

"Children who have dropped out of school during the pandemic and seek help to be brought back to classrooms may not be happy. For those still in school, struggling to keep up with their lessons, and looking for support such as tutoring or special classes to bridge the learning gap, will not be satisfied with what is on offer," he added.

A total of Tk81,449 crore has been proposed for the Education Ministry, and Primary and Mass Education Ministry which is 12% of the total budget and below 2% of the GDP. 

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the budget speech described government initiative for Research and Science Education, development of education infrastructure, teachers' recruitment, books distribution, stipends paid, ICT equipment installed in schools but he did not announce any special measurers for the sector. 

But he said that the ongoing projects will continue. 

"Projects like 'Establishment of 100 Technical Schools and Colleges', 'Establishment of 4 Women's Polytechnic Institutes in Sylhet, Barisal, Rangpur and Mymensingh Divisions', 'Capacity Building of 64 Technical Schools and Colleges', 'Setting up of One Engineering College in every Division of Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur', 'Establishment of Polytechnic Institutes in 23 Districts', 'Establishment of 8 Women's Technical Schools and Colleges in 8 Divisional Headquarters' will continue in the next fiscal year."

"The Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (Inmas) at the campuses of the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, National Chest Disease Institute and Hospital of Mohakhali, and Medical College Hospitals of Mohakhali, Pabna, Kushtia, Jessore, Cox's Bazar, Gopalganj, and Satkhira and the Inmas at Mymensingh and Pet-CT scans with cyclotron facilities at INMP, Savar are going to be set-up," he said.

Giving Importance to Children with Special Needs

"We allocated funds to each Upazila on demand basis for the purchase and distribution of disability aids (wheel-chairs, crutches, hearing aids, spectacles, etc.) for children with special needs in the field level," added the finance minister.