The government will need at least $90 million (Tk 768 crore) to implement a recovery plan for the education sector hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, says a study jointly prepared by the Support to Sustainable Graduation Project of the Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance and BRAC. This amount, according to a news report published in a national daily on Thursday, is in addition to the regular budgetary allocation for the education sector. Under the current budget for 2021-2022, Tk 71,951 crore has been allocated to the education sector — Tk 26,311 crore for primary and mass education, Tk 36,486 crore for secondary and higher education and Tk 9,154 crore for technical and madrasa education. The allocation to education is 11.91 per cent of the total outlay and 2.08 percent of the GDP.
In the wake of the pandemic, educational institutions remained closed since March 18, 2020, and that caused massive disruption in the education of about 37 lakh students. There have also been significant impacts of pandemic-induced economic distress on education. A BBS data has shown that the pandemic has increased the poverty rate in the country from 20.5 per cent in the 2019-20 fiscal year to 29.5 per cent in the fiscal 2020-21. The impacts would mostly be felt in the gross secondary enrolment and in the gender parity at the secondary level.
Quoting from the study report, a ministry of finance official said, of the estimated $90 million for recovery of the education sector, around $20.7 million would be needed for TV, Radio, mobile and online content development, low-cost learning packages and their distribution. Another $36.6 million would be needed to arrange sanitisation in schools by following health protocols for reopening, raising awareness on health and safety issues, and providing mental health support for students and teachers. Besides, about $10.5 million would be needed for student assessment upon return to schools and teachers’ training. Non-resumption education is affecting the situation of child marriage in the country. As per UNICEF, Bangladesh has the highest rate of child marriage.
We do not say that our bureaucrats lack ideas about extorting money citing attractive projects. Let them say how many money spinning projects have been successfully completed. There is no accountability in completion of the projects. But the money will disappear in no time if the money could be available.
