To foster the development of a prosperous nation, it is crucial to prioritise the education sector in the budget and focus on enhancing the education system. The Government of Bangladesh is diligently working towards a transformative change in the country’s education system, with the primary objective of elevating the quality of education across all levels. Currently, a range of policies and initiatives are being implemented to establish a science-based, technology-driven, skill-enriching, and innovation-oriented education system that fosters creativity and growth.
From FY2009 until FY2023, a total of 351 secondary schools and 371 colleges have been nationalised. Additionally, private secondary schools situated in 315 Upazilas, where government schools were lacking, have been transformed into model schools. Moreover, 180 buildings have been constructed for government post-graduate colleges. These ongoing measures undertaken by the government are expected to contribute to the realisation of Vision 2041 and the SDG 4 set by the United Nations, which aims to provide ‘Quality Education for All’.
The national parliament approved the budget for FY2023-24 on 26 June 2023. The education sector received an allocation of BDT 70,507 crore in the revised budget for the FY2022-23 budget, accounting for 10.7 per cent of the total revised budget. For the upcoming FY2023-24 budget, BDT 88,162 crore has been allocated for the education sector, constituting 11.6 per cent of the total budget. This allocation encompasses three ministries and divisions within the education sector, namely: (a) the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, (b) the Secondary and Higher Education Division, and (c) the Technical and Madrasah Education Division.
The education sector is set to witness various ongoing and proposed projects in FY2023-24. In this year’s budget, an allocation of BDT 28,928 crore has been made for the education sector under the Annual Development Programme (ADP). The ADP related to the education sector entails significant initiatives such as skill-based training, targeted support for female students, the establishment of new educational institutions, infrastructure enhancements for existing institutions, financial aid for underprivileged students, and provisions for nutrition, mental health, reproductive health, physical education, and student services. The parliament approved the budget for FY2023-24 on 26 June 2023.
Moreover, there will be a focus on providing comprehensive training for teachers, modernising and digitising the traditional education system, improving the aesthetics of educational institutions for young learners, advancing technical and madrasa education, and increasing the inclusion of small ethnic groups and students from the third gender. These projects aim to enhance the quality and accessibility of education across various dimensions.
Publication Period: June 2023