The government has taken an initiative in 2020 to establish 329 Technical Schools and Colleges (TSC) at upazila level across the country, investing a substantial sum of Tk 20,000 crore.
Although three and a half years have passed since the inception of this five-year initiative, the progress in construction stands at a mere 0.13 per cent.
Insiders say, despite the availability of funds for the project, progress in construction has been sluggish due to the challenge of acquiring land for the majority of the TSCs.
Officials of the Ministry of Education, Directorate of Technical Education and Education Engineering Department claimed that allegations of corruption in land acquisition were also responsible for delaying of the project.
As of June 2022, a sum of Tk 1,743 crore has been disbursed for this project, which witnessed a progress of 0.8 per cent during that particular year. The cumulative allocation for the project has reached Tk 11,000 crore up to the current year, with an expenditure totalling Tk 2,745 crore thus far. Regrettably, the project’s most recent progress stands at a meager 0.13 per cent, project sources said.
The project’s progress has been impeded by four changes in project directors over the course of its implementation.
To spread the vocational and technical education over the country, the Ministry of Education has taken the initiative to establish polytechnic schools and colleges, women’s polytechnics, agricultural colleges at the upazila level while thousands of crores taka are being spent.
Among them, the project of setting up TSC in 329 upazilas is one of them.
Over the course of three and a half years, only 15 per cent of the work has been accomplished for two specific projects in the Barishal’s Bakerganj and Cumilla’s Monoharganj upazilas.
According to technical division sources, tender invitations have been extended to Asashuni in Satkhira and Dighlia in Khulna while allocations for land acquisition have been dispatched to eight upazilas.
A land donation has been secured within one upazila, while land acquisition processes have been concluded in six upazilas. In two upazilas, colleges are presently awaiting fiscal exemptions and there is no progress in 15 upazilas.
According to Directorate of Technical Education, there are plans to construct multiple structures within TSC premises, encompassing academic, administrative, and workshop facilities, along with boundary installations. To facilitate this, a parcel of three acres is being procured for each institution. A budget of TK 60 crore has been allocated for each educational establishment.
The project’s timeline and financial scope might experience revisions due to the recent escalation in construction material costs, insiders added.
Speaking to The Business Post, Ziauddin Al Mamun the former Project Director (Joint Secretary) TSC project said, “There are various objections from the district administration regarding the ownership of land. The process of land acquisition could have been significantly simpler had these disputes been swiftly resolved.”
Additionally, obtaining permissions for urban development and securing clearance from the Department of Environment pose challenges that demand both time and effort, he added.
The Education Engineering Department (EED) is responsible for the implementation of educational programs and infrastructure construction in public and private educational institutes.
Chief Engineer of EED, Delwar Hossain Majumdar said the Directorate of Technical Education seemed uninterested in our collaboration. Despite their visits to various upazilas, our executive engineers were not involved. I believe that bureaucratic intricacies are contributing to the sluggish pace of this endeavour.
When asked, Md Mohsin Director General of Directorate of Technical Education said that although certain bureaucratic complexities exist, the most significant hurdle for the project continues to be land acquisition. The district administration, responsible for this process, is encountering difficulties that are causing delays in the project’s advancement.
Allegations of corruption in land acquisition
Corruption is a major reason for the long process in land acquisition. There have complaints from districts concern over the unjust purchase of inexpensive land at exorbitant rates, further complicating the situation and stalling progress.
After acquiring the land of TSC in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj district for Tk 2 crore 28 lakh, it has been asked for Tk 12 crore again from the district administration which is several times more than the original price.
