Many programmes in education sector given priority by finance minister AMA Muhith in the budget for the current financial year still practically remain in papers while some of the priority programmes are running at a snail’s pace.
Muhith, in his budget speech for 2014-15 financial year, gave priority to the establishment of permanent education commission and accreditation council to monitor education standard of the private universities.
Education ministry officials said that primary works for the establishment of the commission and council had just started.
Some of the priority programmes, including modernising madrassah education, setting up child friendly learning centres at remote areas like chars, haors and tea gardens and posting at least five teachers to every primary school, are yet to be implemented.
‘We do not see any move for forming a permanent education commission,’ said education commission co-chair Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad.
He said that many recommendations made in the education policy were being implemented at a slow pace as many key elements of the policy were yet to be addressed due to budget crunch. The finance minister made no allocation for the education policy implementation for the last four fiscals, he alleged.
Kholiquzzaman said that the pace of modernising madrassah education was dissatisfactory.
According to the Annual Primary School Census 2014, published in March 2015, there are about 57.8 per cent female teachers in primary schools against the
target of 58.4 per cent, set in the budgets for the last three fiscals.
Primary and mass education ministry officials said that government had already ensured about 99 per cent enrolment at primary schools. Campaigners are, however, sceptical about the claim.
Making computer or vocational education compulsory at the secondary level was on the list of priorities and information and communication technology was included in the curriculum in 2013. Different universities are now implementing over 100 projects for the expansion of science education and research.
The government established Rangamati Science and Technology University in 2014 and enacted the Sheikh Mujib Maritime University Act in line with priorities.
It, however, failed to introduce e-learning at all educational institutions, but prepared digital contents and established multimedia classrooms at about 20,500 educational institutions.
Muhith in his budget speech gave priority to job nationalisation of 1,03,845 primary school teachers and jobs of over 96,000 teachers were nationalised till April.
Sluggish implementation of the development projects under the education ministry is blamed for little progress in enhancing the quality of education. Project officials blamed delayed disbursement of allocation for the implementation of the projects.
Over fifty per cent of works of development of physical infrastructure of 3,000 non-government secondary schools and construction of academic buildings for 1,000 non-government madrassahs are still incomplete. The projects, began in 2011, are supposed to be completed by June 2016 and June 2015 respectively.
According to project officials, development of 70 post-graduate government colleges at the district headquarters for improving quality of education, started in 2011, was supposed to end by December 2013, but 60 per cent of the work was pending till May 15.
Transformation of 310 schools into model schools in as many upazilas, where there is no government high school, also remains sluggish and 70 per cent works have been done. The project, also on the list of priorities, got extension by one year from December 2014.
Project of establishing seven government secondary schools in Sylhet, Barisal and Khulna metropolitan cities, undertaken in 2012, was supposed to conclude in June 2014, but construction work of two of the seven schools was yet to begin.
Officials said that the construction of 11 new secondary schools and five colleges in the capital was still incomplete although the deadline expired in June 2014.
Campaign for Popular Education executive director Rasheda K Choudhury said that the country was witnessing an acute rural-urban disparity and some of these projects were aimed to reduce the disparity, but slow implementation of them frustrated the nation.
‘Budgetary allocation in education is low and proper utilisation of that allocation is still a challenge’ she said.
Kholiquzzaman, Rasheda and Save the Children international education sector adviser M Habibur Rahman said that bureaucratic tangle, delayed disbursement of funds and lengthy procurement process were major reasons for the slow implementation the projects.
There is a huge gap between the reality and the expectations regarding the implementation of the education budget, Habibur said.
Education secretary Nazrul Islam Khan said that the work of the establishment of permanent education commission and accreditation council for higher education was going on.
‘Development works of the ministry progressed as per the disbursement of the funds. Overall progress of development work was satisfactory,’ said Nazrul.
‘We cannot do many things as we have some limitations…Education budget is shrinking every year…We are grappling with running the sector,’ said education minister Nurul Islam Nahid.
The allocation for education hovered around 2.2 per cent of GDP, which was about one third of the UNESCO recommendation for six per cent of GDP, he said.
‘In terms of budgetary allocation, we are passing a tough time…Education budget is decreasing…When we assumed office, the allocation was about 14 per cent of the total budget and now it came down to 11 per cent,’ said Nahid.
Muhith, in his budget speech for 2014-15 financial year, gave priority to the establishment of permanent education commission and accreditation council to monitor education standard of the private universities.
Education ministry officials said that primary works for the establishment of the commission and council had just started.
Some of the priority programmes, including modernising madrassah education, setting up child friendly learning centres at remote areas like chars, haors and tea gardens and posting at least five teachers to every primary school, are yet to be implemented.
‘We do not see any move for forming a permanent education commission,’ said education commission co-chair Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad.
He said that many recommendations made in the education policy were being implemented at a slow pace as many key elements of the policy were yet to be addressed due to budget crunch. The finance minister made no allocation for the education policy implementation for the last four fiscals, he alleged.
Kholiquzzaman said that the pace of modernising madrassah education was dissatisfactory.
According to the Annual Primary School Census 2014, published in March 2015, there are about 57.8 per cent female teachers in primary schools against the
target of 58.4 per cent, set in the budgets for the last three fiscals.
Primary and mass education ministry officials said that government had already ensured about 99 per cent enrolment at primary schools. Campaigners are, however, sceptical about the claim.
Making computer or vocational education compulsory at the secondary level was on the list of priorities and information and communication technology was included in the curriculum in 2013. Different universities are now implementing over 100 projects for the expansion of science education and research.
The government established Rangamati Science and Technology University in 2014 and enacted the Sheikh Mujib Maritime University Act in line with priorities.
It, however, failed to introduce e-learning at all educational institutions, but prepared digital contents and established multimedia classrooms at about 20,500 educational institutions.
Muhith in his budget speech gave priority to job nationalisation of 1,03,845 primary school teachers and jobs of over 96,000 teachers were nationalised till April.
Sluggish implementation of the development projects under the education ministry is blamed for little progress in enhancing the quality of education. Project officials blamed delayed disbursement of allocation for the implementation of the projects.
Over fifty per cent of works of development of physical infrastructure of 3,000 non-government secondary schools and construction of academic buildings for 1,000 non-government madrassahs are still incomplete. The projects, began in 2011, are supposed to be completed by June 2016 and June 2015 respectively.
According to project officials, development of 70 post-graduate government colleges at the district headquarters for improving quality of education, started in 2011, was supposed to end by December 2013, but 60 per cent of the work was pending till May 15.
Transformation of 310 schools into model schools in as many upazilas, where there is no government high school, also remains sluggish and 70 per cent works have been done. The project, also on the list of priorities, got extension by one year from December 2014.
Project of establishing seven government secondary schools in Sylhet, Barisal and Khulna metropolitan cities, undertaken in 2012, was supposed to conclude in June 2014, but construction work of two of the seven schools was yet to begin.
Officials said that the construction of 11 new secondary schools and five colleges in the capital was still incomplete although the deadline expired in June 2014.
Campaign for Popular Education executive director Rasheda K Choudhury said that the country was witnessing an acute rural-urban disparity and some of these projects were aimed to reduce the disparity, but slow implementation of them frustrated the nation.
‘Budgetary allocation in education is low and proper utilisation of that allocation is still a challenge’ she said.
Kholiquzzaman, Rasheda and Save the Children international education sector adviser M Habibur Rahman said that bureaucratic tangle, delayed disbursement of funds and lengthy procurement process were major reasons for the slow implementation the projects.
There is a huge gap between the reality and the expectations regarding the implementation of the education budget, Habibur said.
Education secretary Nazrul Islam Khan said that the work of the establishment of permanent education commission and accreditation council for higher education was going on.
‘Development works of the ministry progressed as per the disbursement of the funds. Overall progress of development work was satisfactory,’ said Nazrul.
‘We cannot do many things as we have some limitations…Education budget is shrinking every year…We are grappling with running the sector,’ said education minister Nurul Islam Nahid.
The allocation for education hovered around 2.2 per cent of GDP, which was about one third of the UNESCO recommendation for six per cent of GDP, he said.
‘In terms of budgetary allocation, we are passing a tough time…Education budget is decreasing…When we assumed office, the allocation was about 14 per cent of the total budget and now it came down to 11 per cent,’ said Nahid.
Source: New Age
