CPD calls for adequate funding to address inequality in primary education 

Insufficient investment is leading to inequality in the country's primary education, and to eliminate discrimination and improve the quality of education, the government should ensure proper funding and training, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) said on Sunday. 

"Our job seekers don't get the kind of jobs they want to go to. One of the reasons is that there is a kind of disparity in basic education. This leaves students vulnerable," CPD Executive Director Fahmida Khatun said at a national conference at the Krishibid Institution Auditorium in Dhaka on Sunday. 

"Various studies show that weakness in Mathematics and English becomes acute by the 5th and 8th grades, and then they gradually fall back, continuing until HSC and university," she said at the event titled "Government Investment in Primary Education, Local Experiences and what should be done."  

Pointing out that the investment in education is very low, she said, "The 8th Five Year Plan had promised to allocate 2% of GDP for education by 2019 and 3% by 2025. But in the new budget proposal, only 1.76% of GDP has been allocated."

The conference was organised to unveil the findings of a research conducted on 30 primary schools in Gaibandha, Thakurgaon and Nilphamari, where the grim picture of overall primary-level education has been reflected. 

The study – carried out from April to May this year by the think tank – has found that insufficient government funding has hindered schools from hiring adequate staff, acquiring necessary teaching materials and improving infrastructure and management practices.

As a share of the total budget, the allocation for the primary and mass education ministry has decreased from 6.51% in FY2016-17 to 4.56% in FY2023-24.

And as a share of GDP, it shows a declining trend between FY17 at 0.95% and FY24 at 0.69%.

The participants of the event said that mainly due to a lack of adequate salary allowance, timely promotion and social status, talented people do not take up teaching as a profession, and some even later move to other professions.

"Teaching has now become a 'transit profession'. A graduate who works as an assistant primary teacher, gets a 13th-grade salary, while an 8th-class pass government driver gets a salary in 12th grade. So why should talented people stay in this profession," said Anisur Rahman, a government primary school teacher.

He said two of his colleagues had recently retired after 38 years of service without getting any promotion.

Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow at CPD, said, "Income disparity, wealth disparity is increasing in the country, one of the reasons is that we have created different streams in primary education. We should not introduce two economies in the same country."

The study gathered information from a total of 408 respondents, including teachers, students, parents, managing committee members, education-related public and private institutions, and civil society.

Approximately 73% of the schools surveyed do not have a library, whereas government norms recommend that every school should have a library with at least 500 books. 

About 10% respondents said that there was no playground at schools and 46% said that most of the institutions do not have internet facility. 

More than a third of students in schools surveyed receive private tutors, respondents said.

LGRD Minister Md Tazul Islam and lawmaker Shirin Akhter also spoke at the programme. 

CPD Distinguished Fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya chaired the event where its Senior Research Fellow Towfiqul Islam Khan presented a keynote paper.  

According to 2021 statistics, the primary education system in the country is serving over two crore students, approximately 67.09% are enrolled in 65,566 government primary schools.