Edn in jeopardy for fund constraints
Menon tells Rajshahi teachers
Improving quality of education and implementation of the newly adopted education policy is in jeopardy due to financial constraints, said Rashed Khan Menon, president of the parliamentary standing committee on education ministry, in Rajshahi yesterday.
“We proposed that the government allocate 20 percent of the national budget for the education sector, but fund constraints are restricting the budget's increase,” said the lawmaker.
He was addressing teachers of different educational institutes at a view exchange meeting titled “Improving quality of education”, organised by Rajshahi regional offic,e of Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) at its office.
"Allocation for education decreased to 12.3 percent of the national budget this year compared to the previous budget's 13 percent. If necessary, the standing committee and the teachers would meet the prime minister to solve the matter," said Menon.
The country requires at least eight percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for ensuring quality education but gets only two. The standing committee is emphasising allocation of at least six percent, he said.
Though the government has formulated the education policy, which was not criticised other than on political grounds, the glory is fading for lack of funds, said Menon.
Earlier, teachers of different educational institutes spoke of their hardships, poor living standards and lack of facilities.
DSHE Deputy Director of Rajshahi Tarun Kumar Sarker chaired the meeting where Rajshahi lawmaker Fazle Hossain Badsha, language movement veteran Abul Hossain and educationists Ruhul Amin Pramanik, Toshikul Islam Raja, Proshanto Saha, Shafikur Rahman Badsha, Tanbirul Alam, Nurul Alam, Saidur Rahman and Mokaddasul Islam also spoke.
In the afternoon, Menon went to Bhubon Mohon Park where nearly 100 teachers under the banner Zila Shikkhok Samity were on a hunger strike since morning demanding time scale incentives. He fed the teachers fruit juice and water to have them end their strike.
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