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Dhaka’s 10-school project misses deadline by years
Nine years on, 3 schools still await construction amid land, management woes
A government project to reduce student crowding in central Dhaka by expanding access to secondary education around the capital through 10 new schools has been stalled for years by land complications, the COVID-19 pandemic and project-management delays, leaving three schools yet to see construction begin nine years after approval.
The project – “Establishment of 10 Government Secondary Schools in Peripheral Areas of Dhaka City”, originally scheduled for completion by June 2020 at Tk673.46 crore, has now been extended to June 2027 with its cost rising to Tk803.75 crore.
By April 2026, Tk443.87 crore had been spent, equivalent to 55.45% of the revised allocation, while overall physical progress stood at 68%.
According to an Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) report based on information up to April 2026, construction of three of the schools is around 30% complete, while work on another three has yet to start. The academic buildings of the remaining four schools are between 88% and 93% complete.
None of the planned infrastructure components, including a 10-storey academic building at each school, gymnasiums, Shaheed Minars, internal roads and boundary walls, has been completed in full, the report said.
IMED identified prolonged delays in land acquisition, irregular audits and a lack of regular meetings of the project implementation committee (PIC) and project steering committee (PSC) as major weaknesses. It also pointed to overall shortcomings in project management.
The review recommended a time-bound action plan for completing the remaining work, stronger auditing and monitoring, and faster completion of the ongoing tender evaluation process.
It also recommended appointing a full-time project director with adequate technical and administrative support, including a senior Education Engineering Department (EED) engineer in the project implementation unit (PIU).
A coordination committee involving the PIU, Economic Relations Division (ERD) and Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) was also suggested.
Academic activities unlikely to start on schedule
Each school is planned to have a 10-storey academic building, gymnasium, Shaheed Minar, internal roads and boundary walls. The project also includes furniture, computers and internet facilities, office equipment, laboratory, gymnasium and cultural equipment, sports gear and books.
However, procurement of these items has not started as the authorities plan to purchase them after completion of the buildings.
The DPP also provides for 210 posts at each school — 157 for the secondary section and 53 for the higher secondary section.
The project office said construction of the three schools in Hemayetpur, Nabinagar and Dhamrai had exceeded 90% completion.
It sought approval from the Ministry of Education on 12 August 2025, to create and fill BCS (General Education) cadre posts, including principals, to facilitate the start of academic activities.
As no decision was received, the project office sent another letter on 24 February 2026, but the ministry has yet to respond.
‘We hope to start next year’
Prof Dr Mir Zahida Naznin, project director and director of the planning and development wing of DSHE, told the Daily Sun on Monday that construction of all seven buildings under way was nearing completion.
She said the three remaining schools could not be started because of complications over land.
The feasibility study for the proposed site in Ashulia was delayed by various complications, she said.
A case was filed over the land and was later cancelled at Khilkhet, after which approval was granted for one year and the authorities had to search for land again.
The project tenure was extended twice — once because of the COVID-19 pandemic and later by the government, she said.
In Purbachal, RAJUK initially did not hand over the allocated land because of the presence of a cemetery and eventually handed it over after a delay, she added.
Regarding the academic session, Dr Naznin said, “We were supposed to admit students in July this year, but that could not be done. We hope to start academic activities from next year, provided the government completes the appointment and deployment of teachers within the stipulated time.”