Bangladesh: 2017-18 budget. Need for quality education

Record pass percentage in primary and secondary levels without strictly examining exam papers simply strikes at the root of quality education in the country. This is suicidal not only for students but also for guardians who spend hard-earned money for their children’s education. Low-performing students are unlikely to secure an employment even if they somehow complete full cycle of education.

The government should examine the quality of both teachers and students in primary and secondary schools. Otherwise, the budgetary allocation on education, drawn from taxpayers’ money, will simply go down the drain. The 2017-18 budget has proposed an allocation of Tk.504.32 billion for education sector. It has raised the allocation by around 14 per cent from the outgoing fiscal year. The amount is 2.2 per cent of the GDP (gross domestic product) and 12.6 per cent of the total outlay. An allocation of Tk.284.10 billion has been proposed for the two newly created divisions under the education ministry and another 220.22 billion taka for the primary and mass education ministry.

It indeed makes a sad commentary that the ratio of education budget to GDP has been about two per cent over the last 15 years. This is lower than that of many other Asian countries, like Vietnam and Nepal. Bangladesh is committed to the global forum to spend 6.0 per cent of the GDP or allocate at least 20 per cent of the national budget for education. The Unesco also suggested that the budgetary allocation for education should constitute at least 6.0 per cent of the GDP and 20 per cent of the total budget.

The country’s top educationists have taken exception to low budgetary allocation for education. Professor Emeritus of Brac University Manzoor Ahmed  said it is not possible to ensure quality of education with this amount. While Bangladesh has achieved nearly a hundred per cent enrolment and gender equality in primary schools, it is high time the government concentrated on quality education. Only 25 per cent of students, who completed Class V, achieved standard reading quality of English and Bangla, according to Dr Manzoor. Learning time for primary school students in the developed countries is 1,000 hours per year, but it is less than 500 hours in Bangladesh. Again, a teacher deals with 50 to 60 students in a classroom in the country which is almost double compared to the developed countries.

«Our future would be bleak if we do not increase our investment in education,» said eminent educationist Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury. It is a matter of regret that the government investment in the education sector is poor, and the allocation has been declining over the years, he said. «We are spending on many unproductive areas which would not bring any good in the future,» said the Professor Emeritus of Dhaka University. He urged the government to make education its top priority for the sake of the country’s future.

The government should now put more emphasis on teachers’ training. It also must make sure that the money is spent in a transparent manner and the students get the benefit.