Education Sector to See Major Reforms with GDP Allocation Target of 5%

Education and Primary & Mass Education Minister Dr. A.N.M. Ehsanul Haq Milon has reaffirmed the BNP government's election pledge to allocate 5% of GDP to the education sector. He made the statement during a press conference at the ministry's conference room on Thursday (19 February) at around 12:30 pm, with State Minister Bobby Hajjaj present. The minister emphasized that increasing the budget envelope is a core vision of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

State Minister Bobby Hajjaj outlined a three-phase reform timeline in his written speech. The first phase, running until Eid-ul-Fitr, will include a diagnostic review of budget and project implementation, root-cause analysis of why 53% of development budget funds are returned, and pilot designs for teacher tablets, multimedia classrooms, and language education.

The second phase will begin after Eid-ul-Fitr. Bobby Hajjaj said the ministry will announce a national education roadmap with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's approval. This roadmap will be ministry-wise, division-wise, and include measurable indicators.

The third phase will span 12 to 36 months. Major technical reforms will be introduced in examinations and evaluation during this period. Bridging will be established across technical, general, and madrasa education, while research and innovation grants in universities will be scaled up.