Educationalists have expressed disappointment over the proposed 2012-2013 budget for the education sector, stating that it is inadequate and will make it difficult to implement the current education policy.
As the number of students is increasing every year, the education sector will have more problems to tackle with the inadequate budgetary allocation,
they said.
The finance minister, AMA Muhith, had proposed an allocation of Tk 21,408 crore for the education sector for the 2012-2013 financial year.
Primary and mass education ministry will receive Tk 9,825 crore and the education ministry will receive Tk 11,583 crore.   
The amount is lower — from 11.8 per cent in the 2011-2010 financial year to 11 per cent in 2012-2013.   
Educationalists have been demanding an allocation of at least 14 per cent of the total budget for the education sector.
Executive director of the Campaign for Popular Education Rasheda K Choudhury said, ‘We are disappointed. As the number of students is increasing every year, the allocation for per student will actually decrease.’
She said there is no specific direction in the proposed budget for vocational education which is an important thing for development.
In his budget speech, the finance minister did not say anything new about the policy, compiling previous activities of the education sector.
The minister mentioned the education policy 2010 and said it would be implemented in phases, but did not say how much money would be allocated to implement the policy.
Manzoor Ahmed from BRAC University’s Institute of Educational Development said the education budget was the lowest amongst other South Asian countries.  
‘We hoped that the education budget will be gradually increased every year to implement the National Education Policy 2010 but we are disappointed,’ he said.
According to the keynote speech by the director general of the National Academy for Educational Management, Shaikh Ekramul Kabir, among 10 other Asian countries, the budgetary allocation for education is the lowest in Bangladesh.
Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid on April 10 had said the allocation of only 12 per cent of the total national budget was not enough for the sector and should be increased.
The UNESCO declaration states that the allocation for education should be at least 20 per cent of the national budget and 6 per cent of the gross domestic product, he added. 
When asked whether the budget for education sector was adequate, Nahid said on Friday, ‘I have said and still am saying that we need more budgetary allocation to continue the progress in the education sector. But the country has limited resources and we will try to make up everything with what amount we will be given.’