The education sector took a huge hit during the Covid-19 pandemic. The shambolic condition of the health sector was also revealed during that time. Despite this, the two sectors involving fundamental rights are not getting sufficient attention in the national budget.
Though the allocations grow in terms of money, the growth is very little in proportion to the gross domestic product (GDP). The same negligence is likely to continue in the next budget of 2024-25 fiscal year.
According to the World Bank, Bangladesh is one of the 10 countries that allocates the least amount of money in the education sector in proportion to its economy size.
On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) says a Bangladeshi needs US$88 annually for basic health services but the amount spent is US$58, which is mostly provided by the citizens.
An analysis of allocations granted in the last five national budgets revealed that the allocation in the education sector remained close to 12 per cent and in the health sector around 5 per cent of the budget. The amount is nearly 2 and 1 per cent in comparison to the GDP.