Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed has proposed giving special priority to creating the environment for a science-based, technology-driven and employment-oriented education in the proposed budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
He said there is no alternative to science, technology or technical education to build a strong economic structure while presenting the budget in a televised address to the nation today, Monday. The budget speech began at 3:00 pm.
A total of Tk 956.45 billion (Tk 95,645 crore) has been allocated to the education sector, with the primary and mass education ministry receiving Tk 354.03 billion (Tk 35,403 crore), Secondary and Higher Education division receiving Tk 475.63 billion (Tk 47,563 crore), and Technical and Madrasa Education receiving Tk 126.78 billion (Tk 12,678 crore) respectively. The allocation in this sector for the 2024-25 fiscal year was Tk 947.10 billion (Tk 94,710 crore).
The most important foundation of a child's cognitive development is laid at the level of primary education. Considering this, short, medium and long-term reform activities have been started based on the recommendations of the consultation committee formed for the development of primary education, whose main goal is to create a suitable environment and ensure quality education for the students.
To ensure an enabling environment for primary education, 5,946 classrooms, 17,164 wash blocks and 4,450 tubewells have been set up in primary schools across the country in the current fiscal year. At present, construction of 21,278 classrooms, construction of 18,476 wash blocks and installation of 6,984 tubewells are underway. Besides, nearly 92 million (9 crore 19 lakh 50 thousand 492) books have been distributed among student of pre-primary to class 5 in the current academic year.
At the primary level, all the students are being given stipend through EFT. Besides, the School Feeding programme will be introduced in 150 upazilas at a cost of Tk 54.52 billion (Tk 5,452 crore) under the ‘Government Primary School Feeding Programme’, which will help increase enrollment rate, ensure nutrition of the students and increase school attendance. He proposed to allocate Tk 21.64 billion (Tk 2,164 crore) for this purpose in the next fiscal year.
Considering the importance of primary and mass education, the finance adviser proposed to allocate Tk 354.03 billion (Tk 35,403 crore) for this sector in the FY2025-26.
In case of secondary and higher education, the finance adviser said that existing textbooks have already been revised and updated to ensure quality education. To modernise the higher education system and align it with international standards, the curricula of all private universities have been updated based on the globally recognised outcome-based education (OBE) model.
Under the Secondary and Higher Education Division, 62 projects are being implemented with an allocation of Tk 19.57 billion (Tk 1,957 crore) for educational infrastructure development and other initiatives. Besides, plans have been taken to construct ICT infrastructure, including necessary buildings, at Dhaka University, BUET and Jashore Science and Technology University, which will be used as modern classrooms, laboratories and start-up incubation centers for the ICT students.
Besides, the government has provided stipends to 5.1 million (51 lakh) insolvent meritorious students at secondary level, 800,000 (8 lakh) at higher secondary level and 165,000 (1.65 lakh) at undergraduate level in the current fiscal year. Besides, he proposed to allocate Tk 16.26 billion (Tk 1,626 crore) for providing revised textbooks of the secondary and higher secondary level among the students.
The finance adviser proposed to allocate a total of Tk 475.63 billion (Tk 47,563 crore) for secondary and higher education in the FY2025-26. In the budget of FY2024-25, the allocation for this sector was Tk 441.09 billion (Tk 44,109 crore).
Speaking on the subject of technical and madrasa education, the adviser said technical and vocational education plays an important role in ensuring employment opportunities both at home and abroad. At present, the enrollment rate in technical education is 19 per cent. Women polytechnic and engineering colleges are being established at every divisional level, polytechnics at district level and technical schools at upazila level to substantially increase this rate in the future.
Besides, the government is implementing extensive programmes for the development of madrasa education. The construction of 1,135 Madrasa buildings has already been completed and construction of 513 multi-storied buildings is underway. Work is underway to bring 1,519 madrasas across the country under MPO.
Plus, multimedia classrooms have been set up in 493 madrasas, which are playing a role in making madrasa education time-befitting. He proposed to allocate Tk 7.28 billion (Tk 728 crore) for inclusion of stipend at the Ebtedayee level and MPO enrollment of Madrasas.
The finance adviser proposed to allocate Tk 126.78 billion (Tk 12,678 crore) for the Technical and Madrasah Education Division in FY2025-26. In the budget of FY2024-25, the allocation for this sector was Tk 117.83 billion (Tk 11,783 crore).