EDUCATION is decidedly one of the key drivers of a country's economic growth. Being one of the basic needs of a society, its effect on the overall economic performance of a country can hardly be overemphasised. Specifically, for developing countries, like Bangladesh, education plays a pivotal role in development through developing human skills and increasing knowledge of the labour force.
Over the years, the education system of Bangladesh has gone through numerous changes and the latest major reform was the introduction of Primary School Certificate exam at the primary level. Further, policies and guidelines were formulated to improve the quality of education. University admission tests, however, presents a depressing picture of the overall quality of the education system.
Besides, in the last couple of years, budget allocation for education, was well below the volume of money needed for further development of the country. According to the World Bank statistics, Bangladesh had the second lowest allocation for education proportionate to its GDP (2.7 per cent) only ahead of Sri Lanka (1.7 per cent). Countries like Malaysia and Thailand had more than two and three times higher allocation than us respectively. Allocation for education in India according to their latest budget is 6.0 per cent of their GDP.Â
Additionally, Bangladesh is still far from the target allocation for education recommended by the UNESCO. Moreover, last year, a study conducted by the TIB revealed a grim picture of recruitment in public universities. But then, a recent action by Dhaka University to suspend a teacher and degrading another, certainly gave the general people an optimistic vibe. But lack of proper training for instructors at every level of education remains to be a thorn in the neck.Â
As is obvious, development of the overall education sector in Bangladesh is essential to stimulate the country's growth. Increasing budget allocation and ensuring quality of education are prerequisites for maintaining a sustainable growth. This, in effect, will help create better persons with better minds who will carry the flagship of the economy and produce phenomenal outcomes in the long run.Â
Nahian Mursalin
nahian.brac@gmail.com
Â
Developing education sector for economic growth
FE Team | Published: April 13, 2017 21:19:45 | Updated: October 21, 2017 06:33:48
Developing education sector for economic growth
Share if you like