Only 30 per cent of progress has been made in the last five years in a project regarding the expansion of the opportunities for science education at 200 public colleges across Bangladesh.
The picture of the slow pace of the project, titled “Fostering Opportunities of Science Education in Public Colleges,” was pointed out in the recently released evaluation report of the Planning Ministry’s Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED).
According to the project documents, the Tk 2,511-crore project started in July 2018 aiming to achieve goals of the National Education Policy-2010 and relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030.
The government-funded project was supposed to be completed by June 2022 but the project tenure has been extended till June 2025 without increasing expenditures.
The construction of 176 six-storey academic buildings, expansion of 18 buildings, classroom repair at six colleges, construction of 47 hostel buildings, the introduction of 10 new subjects, supply of computer parts, science equipment, furniture and office materials in 200 colleges, and proposing creating posts for science subject teachers and hostel employees are supposed to take place under the project.
Insiders said the project missed the first deadline in June 2022 and its completion by the current deadline of June 2025 is also uncertain as the work is going on at a snail’s pace.
According to the IMED report released on June 30, the project’s financial progress was only 26.63 per cent and structural progress was only 30 per cent till March this year.
It said the construction of only 15 out of 95 academic buildings, five out of 18 upward expansion works of the academic buildings, and five out of six classroom repair works were completed by March.
However, construction works of none of the 47 hostel buildings have been fully completed even after five years. The works of 35 hostels across the country are still underway.
The IMED report said the works of 30 academic buildings and eight hostels are likely to be completed soon.
Evaluating the project, IMED found that colleges have been selected for the construction of academic buildings and hostels without determining proper needs through proper field surveys in many cases.
Although there is a high demand for student hostels in district-level colleges, there is no space and demand for student hostels in many upazila-level colleges, it said.
The approved estimate for the construction of buildings of Bhandaria Government College and Ulipur Government College in Kurigram was not followed properly. MS nosing has been used instead of brass nosing on the stairs of the building as the quality of the work hampered.
The IMED report also found that local needs were not given importance during the formulation of the project.
In Gazaria Government College, the senior teachers are facing a lot of trouble taking classes due to the non-installation of lifts in the six-storey academic building while adequate curing was not done during construction. It is destroying the quality of the project work.
There is no solar power or IPS/generator in the building constructed by Chunarughat Government College, said the project evolution report.
IMED said there is a lack of overall coordination with engineers of the Education Engineering Department (EED), contractors and college authorities while the pace of project work is very slow. There is a need for more intensive monitoring by the higher level.
IMED recommended that grills can be provided on the balconies of the ground floor and second floor of the academic buildings for the sake of the overall safety of the students and the building in line with the building code.
Academic buildings can be equipped with a drainage system, solar power or IPS system, lightning protection system, lift and generator.
Testing of samples of bricks, coarse, sand, cement, rods and concrete by the contractor is needed before bringing the construction materials to the construction site.
IMED suggested that initiatives should be taken to strengthen the monitoring system for smooth project implementation by maintaining the quality of the work. Particularly, the project director’s office and executive engineers should regularly monitor and inspect the project activities by EED.
The project director will have to take necessary steps for project management in overall coordination with EED engineers, contractors and college authorities, said IMED.
Also, it said that if the project is implemented, it can be expected that the scope of science education with modern technology will expand in public colleges.
However, the remaining work of the project needs to be completed on an urgent basis with a time-bound action plan, it added.
Project director Prof Dr Khandaker Muzahidul Haq was unavailable for comments over the phone in this regard.
