The country’s education sector is going to have an allocation of Tk 66,400 crore in the upcoming fiscal year of 2020-21, which is Tk 5,282 crore up from the current budget.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, in the proposed budget placed today at Jatiya Sangsad, allocated Tk 24,940 crore for the primary and mass education ministry, Tk 33,117 crore for secondary and higher education division and Tk 8,344 crore for technical and madrasa education division.
The amount makes up 11.69 percent of the total expenditure and its share in the GDP stands at 2.09 percent.
In the current budget, the allocation for the education sector was Tk 61,118 crore and it was 11.68 percent of the total budget and 2.10 percent of GDP, according to budget documents.
The government allocated Tk 24,040 crore for primary and mass education, 29,624 crore for secondary and higher education, and Tk. 8,344 crore for technical and madrasa education in the current fiscal year.
In his budget speech, the finance minister said, “Normal education of about 4 crore students is being hampered due to the coronavirus crisis. In the next fiscal it will be important for us to make up the education loses in the education sector. We have ensured enough resources to make up the loss in the budget.”
About primary education, he said, “We have been implementing a range of key activities in primary education that includes nationalising primary schools, upgrading the physical infrastructure of newly nationalised schools, distributing free textbooks, improving the ICT and other education infrastructures.”
He went on saying “The Cabinet has approved the National School Meal Policy 2019, and under this policy, we are going to roll out mid-day meals to all primary schools across the country. Works are underway to establish interactive classrooms in 503 schools, and soon we will be providing internet connectivity to all primary schools, including two laptops and two multimedia projectors to each school.”
About secondary and higher education, Kamal said “The government has already been implementing key initiatives, such as teachers’ training including ICT training, constructing school buildings and expanding classrooms with modern facilities in the underprivileged areas, enlisting private schools under the MPO (Monthly Pay Order) list, nationalising private schools.”
In addition, about Technical, and Vocational education, the finance minister said, “We have begun implementing quality technical and vocational education to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We are working to identify the right technologies and right skills keeping the Fourth Industrial Revolution in mind, and accordingly conducting activities so as to properly educate the students.”
