Increase allocation for education

Budget is the stage where a future obligation to pay is incurred. The precise definition of commitment varies not only from one system to another but even among those well-versed in public sector accounting. Budget implementation, in the sense of delivering services by undertaking expenditures, is the responsibility of the line ministries and spending agencies, within regulatory controls set by the ministry of finance. While financial information on budget execution is usually available on a centralized basis in the ministry of finance, the data are collected either through the line ministries or through ministry of finance controls in the system. These information flows must be identified; and they may differ substantially depending on the systems. The term budget refers to an estimation of revenue and expenses over a specified future period of time and is usually compiled and re-evaluated on a periodic basis. Budgets can be made for any entity that wants to spend money, including governments and businesses, along with people and households at any income level.

To manage your monthly expenses, prepare for life’s unpredictable events, and be able to afford big-ticket items without going into debt, budgeting is important. Keeping track of how much you earn and spend doesn’t have to be drudgery, doesn’t require you to be good at math, and doesn’t mean you can’t buy the things you want. It just means that you’ll know where your money goes, and you’ll have greater control over your finances. A budget is an estimation of revenue and expenses over a specified future period of time and is utilized by governments, businesses, and individuals at any income level.

A budget is basically a financial plan for a defined period, normally a year that is known to greatly enhance the success of any financial undertaking. Corporate budgets are essential for operating at peak efficiency. Aside from earmarking resources, a budget can also aid in setting goals, measuring outcomes, and planning contingencies. Personal budgets are extremely useful in managing an individual’s or family’s finances over both the short and long-term horizon. In the fiscal year 2021-2022, the total budget allocated to the education sector was 71,951 taka 11.9 percent of the national budget. In that, 36,486 taka, 26,311 taka, and 9,154 taka were allocated for secondary and higher education, primary and mass education, and technical and madrasa education, respectively. The entirety of the budget allocated for education makes up a mere 2.08 percent of the GDP, reduced from the previous year, despite the education sector being adversely affected by the pandemic. Not only are we far from the standard public expenditure on education set by UNESCO, we are also lagging behind compared to other South Asian countries. In 2015, UNESCO set the average public expenditure for education to 4 to 6 percent of GDP, or 15 to 20 percent of total budget.

A 2020 report by UNICEF denotes Bangladesh to be the lowest spending country in the region where others such as Bhutan, Nepal, and Afghanistan spent 6.6 percent, 5.2 percent, and 4.1 percent respectively. Lack of resources is often cited as the key reason behind our below-average budget for education. This is not entirely true. As a low-income country, there is no denying that we lack resources. But even with the available resources, we can afford to allocate a bigger percentage of the budget to the education sector.

How can we justify our budget when countries with far less can afford to allocate a bigger budget for education? Then, it comes down to priority. A below-average budget is not the only reason our public schools are facing so many challenges. The Ministry of Education is supposed to give a plan depicting how they want to spend their budget. Based on this plan and proposal, the Ministry of Finance will allocate the budget. In reality, we fail at the planning stage. The lack of planning and proper execution is evident in the rate of expenditure throughout the year. A 2019 World Bank report shows that although around 90 percent of the allocated budget is utilised each year, it’s not done systematically throughout the year. The same report states that half the total expenditure is carried out in the last quarter, with extremely high expenses in June. Moving on to the consequences of such a budget, there are three main weaknesses that are common to many of our educational institutions. First is the quality of teachers. Thousands of teachers are recruited every year and sent straight to classrooms without any training. Besides efficient training, under-compensation also contributes to the lack of quality in our classrooms. Government school teachers get paid according to a pay scale. But it is not enough. So, they often engage in other economic activities or maintain a side job. As promotions take a long time, the salary doesn’t increase annually. Even when one gets a promotion, the salary does not increase much, so it doesn’t make much difference. The challenges of our public schools do not end here. The schools are often ill-equipped. We do not have any labs or computer facilities in our many schools.

We are also not given tiffin from the school like other government schools. Furthermore, the National Education Policy of 2010 stating the teacher-student ratio to be 1:30 is yet to be implemented in most government schools across the country. According to UNESCO Institute for Statistics, as of 2018, the ratio remains 1:35 for secondary schools while primary schools show signs of improvement at 1:30. The picture on the ground, however, speaks a more complex truth as students. Public expenditure in the education sector also fails to accommodate the entirety of our student body. According to the Directorate of Primary Education’s 2017 report, 77.7 percent of primary level students go to government-run schools. However, almost a third of the student body seeks pre-primary education from privately-owned institutions, such as private or NGO-run kindergartens. The situation is worse in secondary education sector. According to a 2018 report by the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics, a staggering 98 percent of the secondary institutions are privately owned or managed; 82 percent of these institutions receive Monthly Pay Orders (MPOs) as teacher salaries. Although the number illustrates a significant percentage, only a handful teachers from subsidised schools receive this salary. Considering the myriad problems inflicting our government-funded schools, it is not surprising that those who can afford it are opting for private or hybrid schools instead. This shift from public to private schools is causing the loss of equity and inclusion in our education sector. Budget Development Process The process begins by establishing assumptions for the upcoming budget period.

These assumptions are related to projected sales trends, cost trends, and the overall economic outlook of the market, industry, or sector. Specific factors affecting potential expenses are addressed and monitored. The budget is published in a packet that outlines the standards and procedures used to develop it, including the assumptions about the markets, key relationships with vendors that provide discounts, and explanations of how certain calculations were made. The sales budget is often the first to be developed, as subsequent expense budgets cannot be established without knowing future cash flows. Budgets are developed for all the different subsidiaries, divisions, and departments within an organization. For a manufacturer, a separate budget is often developed for direct materials, labor, and overhead. All budgets get rolled up into the master budget, which also includes budgeted financial statements, forecasts of cash inflows and outflows, and an overall financing plan. At a corporation, the top management reviews the budget and submits it for approval to the board of directors. L Given the education sector is recovering from the damage caused by the pandemic, many experts said, While planning the budget, we first need an assessment and remedial plan. The remedial plan needs to address the knowledge gap that students are facing. Secondly, we need a few months of intense schooling so they can catch up, which can be easily done by shifting the academic year from June to September. Admittedly, the education budget is not the only reason behind the shortcomings of our public school sector.

However, if we are to ensure equity, inclusion, and quality education change needs to start from here, and soon. Last I n the national budget, the allocation for the health sector should be increased. To ensure better health of children and pregnant mothers, we need more investment in trained nurses, midwives and specialized equipment. Despite enormous progress in Bangladesh, millions of children continue to face violence, abuse, and are forced into child marriage or child labour.

Recognizing that social workers on the ground play a vital role to protect children, over 65 per cent of the children said that it was very important for them to see more spending on social workers. The survey findings and children’s debate entries on the Generation Parliament platform show that children are both aware and eloquent when given the opportunity to express what they want from their national leaders. However, the survey also revealed that many children do not feel that their opinions matter: only about half of children said that it was very important to listen to children’s views while deciding on the national budget. When compared to surveyed countries worldwide, has the second-lowest share of children and young people who believe that it is very important for political leaders to listen to children.

We need to carve out more space for children and young people to participate meaningfully in the decisions that affect their future. We need to show them through our actions that their voices do matter. We need to see greater allocation to child sectors in the national budget. From 2015 to 2019, the Government published a child budget report, which tracked progress towards its target of increasing investment in children to 20 per cent of public expenditure.

The writer is a researcher based in the UK