Experts slam govt apathy, demand 15pc budget for education

Education seems to have fallen off the priority list, and the situation is only worsening. Despite numerous commissions formed for various reforms, there has been no dedicated commission for education reform.

The fragmented and isolated approach to education policy persists, experts said at a pre-budget press conference titled “Towards an Inclusive Education Budget: Our Proposal”, organized by the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) on Monday.

At the event, CAMPE called for at least 15% of the national budget to be allocated to education in the upcoming fiscal year.

Former adviser to the caretaker government and CAMPE’s Executive Director Rasheda K Choudhury lamented that education has somehow disappeared from policymakers’ priorities.

"Education is the key tool for human resource development, yet it has been sidelined," she said.

She emphasized that in this new era, born from a mass uprising, the first demand must be to restore education as a national priority.

Brac University’s Emeritus Prof Manzoor Ahmed highlighted the deep-rooted inequalities in the education system.

"There are elite Bangla-medium schools for the privileged, while the rest — government schools, English-medium institutions, and madrassas — vary significantly in quality. Those with access to quality education are already privileged, leaving the majority deprived," he noted.

He pointed out that despite a nationwide movement for an equitable society, little discussion has emerged on how education perpetuates inequality rather than eliminating it.

“We’ve seen major political shifts, yet no real conversation about education reform. Various reforms are being discussed, but no commission has been formed for education,” he said, adding that previous efforts have been piecemeal and uncoordinated.

Khondaker Golam Moazzem, research director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), questioned why students still face textbook shortages at the primary and secondary levels despite years of investment.

He also raised concerns about the education ministry’s failure to fully utilize its allocated budget.

"The budget allocation for education needs to increase, but the education ministry struggles to spend even the existing funds effectively. In 2022, only 78% of the education budget was utilized, leaving 22% unspent. This inefficiency must be addressed," Moazzem said.

CAMPE proposed a roadmap to increase the education budget to 15% immediately and 20% by 2030. The organization also urged the government to extend free primary education up to grade eight and increase stipends for primary school students to Tk500 per month.