Action fails to match rhetoric again
A nominal increase over the revised FY2024-25 allocation in the education budget has been proposed for FY2025-26, but it is nearly at an all-time low as a ratio of GDP. The specific allocations has proposed a continuation of past policies, many of which have not worked or have faced implementation challenges. The rhetoric about prioritising education—as under the past political governments—does not match the actions in the interim government's budget proposal.
The Tk 95,644 crore budget proposed in FY26 for the three major administratively divided parts of education—primary and mass education, madrasa and technical education, and secondary and higher education—marks an increase over the Tk 84,311 crore in the revised FY25 budget. The new allocation amounts to 1.72 percent of GDP and 12.1 percent of the national budget, compared to the recommended UNESCO benchmark of four to six percent of GDP and 20 percent of the national budget, depending on a country's public expenditure structure.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Significantly, the new budget proposal shows a reduction in the allocation for primary and mass education compared to the original allocation for the current year—Tk 35,403 crore against Tk 38,819 crore originally allocated in the FY25 budget, later revised down to Tk 35,123 crore. A government-appointed consultation committee for primary and non-formal education reform expressed concern about the serious deficiency in the literacy and numeracy skills of the majority of children completing primary education. The committee submitted detailed recommendations for immediate and medium-term actions. The budget speech mentioned the reform initiative, and highlighted a school meal provision and continuation of stipends, but a concerted action plan to implement the reforms remained missing.
The Secondary and Higher Education Division is a beneficiary of the education budget increase, with the proposed allocation of Tk 47,563 crore, which is an increase over the original current year allocation of Tk 44,108 crore and an even larger increase from the revised allocation of Tk 39,233 crore. The increase is well-deserved, but only if the expenditures deliver improved learning outcomes rather than merely keeping the system running by spending on physical infrastructure and paying salaries.
The Technical and Madrasah Education Division has also been given an increase, with the proposed allocation of Tk 12,678 crore in FY26, which is a small gain over Tk 11,783 crore in the current year. Enrolment in madrasas as well as in vocational education is growing, while general schools are losing students. Government education data shows that between 2019 and 2023, general secondary students' enrolment declined from 9.23 million to 8.16 million, whereas madrasa enrolment grew from 2.4 million to 2.75 million. Out of a total of just over 20 million primary-level students in 2024, almost 30 percent, or 6.2 million, were in primary-level madrasas.
The government has promoted the expansion of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) enrolment, the result of which can be seen in an increase to 19 percent of secondary-level students in 2024 from about 14 percent five years earlier. However, observers argue that most of this and earlier growth has been through opening vocational streams in secondary schools, which suffer from low quality of instruction and a lack of qualified teachers and facilities.
Even in specialised technical-vocational institutions, such as polytechnics, technical schools and colleges, and vocational training centres, complaints are frequent about training equipment, the quality and number of instructors, and institutional management. Tracer studies of TVET have shown that half of the graduates were unemployed or not employed in their field of training. Analysis shows that the best predictor of success in TVET is strong learning outcomes of students in primary and general secondary schools. Deficiencies in basic foundational competencies of students remain a huge problem, as noted above. The grievances and anxieties of TVET students have often spilled out onto the streets in public protests.
The consequences of these troubling trends for the preparation of the next generation for life and work loom large as a critical issue. Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said in his budget speech, "There is no alternative to science, technology or technical education to build a strong economic structure." He went on to claim that, "This year's budget has given special priority to creating the environment for a science-based, technology-driven and employment-oriented education."
His ambitious rhetoric has not been borne out by the proposed education budget in its content and characteristics. An annual budget by itself cannot solve the long-standing and inherent problems of the education system. The national budget can be a useful vehicle for change when a vision for change exists and the decision-makers are keen to fulfil that vision.
A clear sense of direction and strategy for the education system is lacking, as it has been under past political governments. The interim government has emphasised reforms in many areas of national concern by establishing high-level commissions for this purpose. But an education reform commission has been conspicuously absent.
Effective implementation of the budget, regardless of its pros and cons, has always been a challenge. An idea, though some political parties may find it heretical, is worth considering. The late Akbar Ali Khan, well-known for his research and writing on economic management and governance, long argued for a participatory budget process involving citizens through local government bodies (Bangladeshe Budget: Orthoniti o Rajniti, 2021).
While radical changes in the proposed budget are unlikely at this stage, could the interim government hold local government elections and involve the local bodies in implementing the budget? The local bodies could be particularly helpful in such areas as safety net spending, small and medium-sized business support, distributing various agricultural subsidies, and improving community healthcare. They can help make funds available to schools for better learning outcomes and greater educational equity through school-based activities with local NGO and community involvement.
In the absence of the MP rule and personal fiefdoms created under the past political governments, genuine people's representatives may help ensure better use of public funds. And an early local government election need not detract the chief adviser from his timetable for a general election in the first half of April next year.
Dr Manzoor Ahmed is professor emeritus at BRAC University, chair of Bangladesh ECD Network (BEN), and adviser to the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE).
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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