TAXING the education sector including private educational institutions can never be a solution. Thus, the government's fresh VAT on English medium schools can hardly be considered a sign of progress. Since English medium schools are mostly for the rich, the decision to raise VAT may have been taken. However, English medium schools are not luxury commodities as often termed by the country's policymakers.
Actually, the majority of students at English medium schools hail from urbanised middle class families and hence the increase in VAT may affect the middle-class parents of those students - this will bring detrimental consequences to both economy and education in the long run. Such regressive flat-tax does nothing but harm Bangladesh's next generation.
Why should a student or a parent who can afford high standard education provided by foreign institutions rely on Bangladesh's public education with its falling quality and its terrible state of affairs? Therefore, a family is supposed to look for alternative modes of education and they cannot be blamed for that. The government may get significant amounts of revenue from VATs but this will create an obstacle for middle class students to receiving quality education.
Ayyan Husayn
Dhanmondi, Dhaka
- Saturday, 20 April 2024 |
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