20% budget allocation demanded for education sector
Budget
The Bangladesh Madrasa General Teachers Association has demanded an allocation of at least 20 percent of the national budget for the education sector to nationalise the entire education system, including madrasas, and to provide full festival allowances to teachers.
The leaders of the platform made the demand at a press conference held in the Sagar-Runi auditorium of Dhaka Reporters' Unity, on Monday.
At the programme, Mohammad Harun ur Rashid, president of the association, demanded a Tk15,000 crore budgetary allocation for the technical and madrasa division in the forthcoming budget, a full festival allowance for teachers, medical and house rent as per government rules, MPO-enlistment of independent Ibtedayee madrasas, and MPO-enlistment of non-MPO educational institutions.
"Currently, we only get 25 % of festival allowances. We want to get our full festival allowance from the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha," he added.
Speaking as chief guest, Md Shahjahan Alam Saju, general secretary of Swadhinata Teachers Council, said "As the government has previously accepted various demands for the development of the education sector, we hope that a full allowance for madrasa teachers will be introduced very soon."
The allocation for the technical and madrasa division should be Tk15,000 crore in the forthcoming budget, which was Tk8,344 crore in the last budget, the leaders also said.
In Fiscal Year 2020-21, Tk33,117 crore has been allocated for the Secondary and Higher Education Division, Tk8,344 crore for the Technical and Madrasa Division, and Tk24,940 for the Primary and Mass Education Ministry, which is 11.69 percent of the total budget.
Acting secretary general of Bangladesh Madrasa General Teachers Association, Shant Islam, senior vice-presidents Nazrul Islam and Sultan Ahmed, vice-president Fakrul Islam, Organising Secretary Firoz Alam and others, were also present at the press conference.
The budget for 2021-22 fiscal year is scheduled to be placed before the 11th Jatiya Sangsad on 3 June.
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