Bangladesh cuts spending on education, technology in new budget

The allocation for the education and technology sectors has dropped by 1.5 percentage points in the budget proposed for the 2015-16 fiscal.

According to Finance Minister AMA Muhith’s proposals placed in Parliament on Thursday, the education and technology sectors will get 11.6 percent of the Tk 2.95 trillion budget.
 
The allocation was 13.1 percent in 2014-15 fiscal 
 
Muhith proposed to give Tk 145.02 billion to the primary and mass education ministry and Tk 171.12 billion to the education ministry.
 

In the previous fiscal year, the primary and mass education ministry got Tk 136.76 billion and the education ministry Tk 155.48 billion.

In the new budget, Tk 15.5 billion has been proposed for the science and technology ministry, and Tk 12.13 billion for information and communication technology (ICT) ministry.

The science and technology ministry got Tk 25.28 billion and ICT ministry Tk 10.28 billion in the 2014-15 fiscal year.

Muhith on Thursday said the government had a plan to expand primary education from grade five to eight by 2018.

“The foundation of education is laid at the primary level,” he said.   

Special training for teachers of English and mathematics, along with creative questions, and the distribution of free books up to the secondary level would continue, he said.

The finance minister said the government had adopted a feeding programme for about 3.4 million children of all primary schools of 93 Upazilas to retain hundred percent enrolments.

“Formulation of School Feeding Policy is also in the offing,” he said.

A Tk 9.24 billion project to establish one technical school in each of the 100 Upazilas was underway to reap the benefits of demographic dividend, the finance minister said.

In addition, he said, a project had been taken up to set up a technical school in every divisional headquarters, poly-technical institutes in 23 districts, four technical institutes for women in four divisions, and an engineering college in every division. 

“Besides, a project has been taken up to deliver basic literacy and life skill trainings to the illiterate people of 15- 45 years age group,” he said.

Muhith also said the government had ‘almost’ finalised the process of establishing an accreditation council to ensure the quality of higher education in private universities.