DHAKA/KISHOREGANJ – BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has pledged that if the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) returns to power, the education sector will receive the highest allocation in the national budget, reiterating the party’s commitment to building a skilled, ethical human resource base.
Tarique made the declaration while virtually addressing the Khandaker Shamsul Alam Foundation’s Merit Scholarship Examination and Results and Prize-Giving Ceremony at the Pakundia Government High School field in Kishoreganj on Saturday.
Key Pledges for Education Sector
The Acting Chairman emphasised that prioritising education is a key component of the BNP’s governance vision.
“We have a plan, as we did before. During the tenure of Begum Khaleda Zia, education used to get the highest allocation in the national budget. Inshallah, if BNP gets the responsibility of running the country again, we will ensure the highest allocation for education,” he stated.
His detailed plan, partly unveiled in response to a student’s question about improving primary education, focuses on quality enhancement and teacher support:
- Infrastructure Improvement: Repairing and modernising dilapidated primary schools to ensure a comfortable and better learning environment for students.
- Teacher Empowerment: Providing social and economic support to teachers so they can focus entirely on teaching without needing to seek other employment.
- Moral and Anti-Corruption Education: Introducing lessons on rejecting and protesting against corruption at the primary level to instil strong moral values from an early age.
- Talent Nurturing: Establishing a system to identify and nurture talents across various fields, including academics, recitation, mathematics, and sports, to help them grow.
- Curriculum Modernisation: Highlighting the party’s broader plan to update the national curriculum through expert consultation to ensure it meets the practical, technical, and contemporary needs of a competitive world. The party has previously mentioned this as part of its 31-point reform plan, which also includes building a safe state and secure campuses for students.
Aligning with Party’s Vision and Past Manifesto
The promise of highest budget allocation aligns with the BNP’s consistent emphasis on the sector. Furthermore, a deeper look into the party’s past commitments reveals more specific targets. The BNP’s 2018 election manifesto had specifically pledged to allocate 5% of the national GDP to the education sector, in addition to another 5% for health, a move that would represent a significant increase from current allocations in Bangladesh.
Tarique Rahman stressed the importance of primary education as the “foundation of a nation’s progress” and urged students to focus on proper, practical, and technical education to survive with dignity in a world increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence and competitive global forces.
He concluded by advising the young audience that there is no shortcut to success in life and warned them against wasting time on electronic gadgets and social media. The BNP leader expressed hope to return to Bangladesh from London and sit with the youth to discuss rebuilding and advancing the country together.
