Experts call for real-time accountability in spending

Stakeholders and educators welcomed the increase in the education budget, but they expressed concerns about the learning outcomes of the additional budget and the government's ability to implement the development budget.
They suggest ensuring a hundred per cent timely release of approved development funds and strengthening implementation capacity to improve budget utilisation, and call for real-time accountability in education budget spending through the education ministry website.
It is true that, in the last couple of years, the education budget of the country has been declining, and educators have criticised it and demanded more allocation; however, the BNP-led government increased the amount for the 2026–27 fiscal year.
Dr Mostafizur Rahman, deputy director of the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), told the Daily Sun that to ensure transparency and accountability, the current stagnation in data flow must be addressed through the introduction of real-time data or instant information systems.
He noted that if expenditure data were continuously updated and made publicly available, it would strengthen accountability and enable constructive scrutiny of how much money has been spent or remains unutilised.
Otherwise, budget reports released several months after the end of the fiscal year leave little room for questioning and are largely accepted without proper review.
In addition, experts called for stronger citizen oversight in the budget implementation process.
They suggested forming a monitoring committee involving civil society representatives, including teachers’ organisations, NGO representatives and journalists, to ensure transparency and effective monitoring of public expenditure.
CAMPE Executive Director Rasheda K Chowdhury said at a budget-related press briefing that the real measure of success would be whether the budget contributes to better learning outcomes.
Utilisation challenge in additional Tk31,847 crore dev budget
According to the proposed budget, in the development budget, Tk21,440.58 crore is allocated for the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Tk24,434.44 crore for the Secondary and Higher Education Division (SHED), and Tk6,723 crore for the Technical and Madrasah Division (TEMD).
Analysis shows that, in the current fiscal year, the development allocation for these three sectors was Tk20,750 crore. As a result, this year the allocation has increased by Tk31,847 crore.
According to the experts, the government has increased the allocation for development in the education sector from around Tk20,750 crore to around Tk52,000 crore, which is undoubtedly a positive step. However, the main challenge lies in implementation capacity under the existing administrative structure.
Dr Mostafiz said that last year only 76% of the development budget was utilised. The key question, he said, is whether the same administrative structure, manpower, and slow implementation process that could utilise only around 75-76% of a Tk20,750 crore allocation can effectively handle a Tk52,597 crore budget.
If not, there is a risk that a significant portion of the allocation may again be cut in the revised budget at the end of the fiscal year, he added.
Prof Mohammad Mojibur Rahman of the Institute of Education and Research at the University of Dhaka said it must be ensured that funds are not returned due to bureaucratic complexities. At the same time, transparency must also be ensured.
Md Abdus Salam, professor of IER at DU, also highlighted this issue. “Bureaucratic complexities must be reduced to ensure full implementation of development spending; otherwise, government authorities will fail to complete budget utilisation,” he said.
Experts stressed that budget implementation must begin in full swing from the very first day of the fiscal year, 1 July, to ensure timely execution and introduce quarterly progress reviews with clear performance indicators to track implementation efficiency.
They further emphasised the need to simplify and expedite the release of allocated funds from the Ministry of Finance and Planning to avoid delays in project execution.