Bangladesh’s Education Budget Is Building the Third Floor on a Crumbling Foundation - Shuva Karmaker
Bangladesh’s Education Budget Is Building the Third Floor on a Crumbling Foundation Imagine a remote Chattogram Class 6 government school: sixty students, one teacher, two fans, no whiteboard. The teacher with eight years’ experience earns Tk 15,000 monthly, with her retirement fund suspended since 2022. One day, she gets a tablet with lesson templates and a digital question bank, but not any necessary training or resources. Next year, she must teach a third language — Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, or Arabic — to students struggling with English. On June 11, 2026, the government announced a record Tk 1,36,606 crore education budget for FY 2026-27 budget —up 56.6% from last year. Policies rarely fail at the announcement stage; they fail during implementation. This budget offers high hope of narrowing that implementation gap. 1. The Third Language Gambit Bangladesh relies on migrant workers, and more languages mean better opportunities. But this raises a question: what’s happening wi...