The education sector is set to receive the largest budget allocation in Bangladesh’s history in the upcoming fiscal year, according to Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat on Thursday after attending a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the minister said the government is preparing a budget that places special emphasis on education and human resource development.
He revealed that the Education Ministry had proposed allocating 3.5 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) to the sector for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which begins on 1 July. However, the Prime Minister assured a 2 per cent allocation, a figure that would still represent the highest education spending ever recorded in a national budget.
According to the minister, the total allocation for education is expected to reach approximately Tk1.23 lakh crore, reflecting the government’s commitment to strengthening the country’s education system and improving learning opportunities.
The minister also announced plans to revive the Teachers’ Welfare Trust and post-retirement benefit schemes within the next month through a special bulk allocation. These programmes have remained inactive since 2022.
He alleged that several thousand crore takas allocated for the schemes had been misappropriated during the tenure of the previous Awami League government, resulting in the suspension of payments and benefits for teachers.
The renewed funding initiative is expected to restore financial support for retired educators and strengthen welfare provisions for teachers across the country, while the record budget allocation signals a broader effort to prioritize education in the coming fiscal year.
