Govt should enhance funds in edn sector

The government should increase allocation in education sector, as this would be the best investment for a brighter future for the nation, said Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday.
He said the government should allocate six percent of Gross Domestic Product and 20 percent of national budget for education sector in this regard.
The minister was speaking at a launching ceremony of the English version of National Education Policy 2010 at Cirdap auditorium in the city, organised by Ministry of Education in collaboration with Unesco Dhaka.
Unwrapping the policy's cover, Nahid said the English version would help meet the demand of development partners and noted educationists of foreign countries.
The policy has been formulated based on the need for a concrete education policy and in a way so that it can be implemented, he said.
Implementing it would be a big challenge for the government but the prime minister assured to allocate the finance needed, he added.
"The policy reflects national characteristics and here lies a strong probability of its implementation," Nahid said. The government has already started implementation of some of the policy's strategies, he mentioned.
Primary and Mass Education Minister Afsarul Ameen hoped that the English version of the policy would be well appreciated in other countries like the main one which is broadly accepted among Bangladeshis.
Describing the key features of the policy, Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, co-chair of National Education Policy Implementation Committee, said enacting an education law is imperative for the policy's implementation.
Education Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Unesco Dhaka Head and Representative Derek Elias, and Additional Secretary of education ministry SM Ghulam Farooque also spoke.
In another programme, former education secretary Syed Ataur Rahman said an estimated Tk 1.20 crore would be needed for the policy's implementation.
At a seminar titled “Implementation of National Education Policy 2010 focusing on Regional Disparities”, he said around Tk 28.598 crore would be needed to build additional classrooms while Tk 1,500 crore would be needed to construct new buildings.
"An additional Tk 15,000 crore would be required every year if we want to implement the education policy," he said while giving a presentation.
Dhaka School of Economics in association with Bangladesh Economic Association and Campaign for Popular Education organised the programme at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.