The Ministry of Education’s Secondary and Higher Education Division is set to wind down its "Vertical Expansion of Selected Private Secondary Schools" project without completing construction in 84 designated schools, owing to a history of negligence by parliamentarians spanning three consecutive Awami League-led governments.
Officials from the Planning Commission and the Secondary and Higher Education Division reported that, if fully realised, the project could enable an additional 30,000 students to access education annually through 600 newly built and furnished classrooms.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) had initially approved the project at an estimated Tk5,237.38 crore, with an expected completion date of December 2020, set three years from its January 2017 start.
However, delays have extended the project’s duration by 133%, now aiming for completion by December 2024, following two extensions—first to June 2023 without additional funding, and later to December 2024.
The Ministry of Education recently submitted a revised proposal to the Planning Commission, reducing the project’s scope and overall cost to Tk4,882.38 crore, reflecting a 6.78% decrease from the original budget.
In a recent Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting led by the Socio-Economic Infrastructure Division, officials agreed to forward the revised proposal to Ecnec for final approval, contingent upon meeting certain recommendations.
According to the project's goals, the initiative was intended to enhance educational infrastructure by adding extra floors, outfitting classrooms with essential furniture, establishing science and computer labs, and providing safe water and sanitary facilities.
Ministry documents reveal that the advent of universal compulsory primary education has significantly increased secondary student numbers, underscoring the need for additional classrooms.
Originally, the ministry intended to construct 23,200 classrooms in 3,250 private schools, targeting a student capacity increase of 11.60 lakh. Yet, planning ministry officials disclosed that parliamentarians only submitted 3,233 schools for the vertical expansion project, leaving 67 schools ineligible due to the absence of existing buildings for upward expansion.
Ultimately, the ministry plans to conclude the project by developing 3,166 institutions prioritised by MPs, excluding the 84 schools—resulting in a projected saving of Tk72.86 crore from the non-residential construction budget.
A detailed analysis of the revised proposal indicates a reduction in building construction costs from the original Tk4,445.48 crore to Tk4,372.61 crore, a 1.64% decrease, while the number of schools to be developed drops by 2.58%.
Likewise, the proposed furniture expenditure was revised from Tk780.42 crore to Tk498.29 crore, yielding a 36.15% reduction, thus saving Tk282.13 crore in furniture procurement.
To date, authorities have expended Tk4,185.11 crore—amounting to 80% of the original project cost and 86% of the revised estimate. The project’s physical completion currently stands at 90%, with construction of 2,578 buildings fully completed. Work is ongoing at 502 schools: 330 of these buildings are 76%-99% complete, 79 are 51%-75% finished, 56 have reached 26%-50% completion, and 37 are at only 1%-25% progress.
The proposal highlights that 86 institutions have seen no progress or have experienced prolonged contract cancellations, necessitating re-tenders or the absence of tender invitations. In some cases, schools repeatedly issued tenders but failed to receive bids.
Furniture has already been supplied to 2,478 schools, with delivery to the remaining 688 institutions pending, set to follow the updated rate schedule.
While the original project plan did not specifically name schools for development, at least ten schools per parliamentary constituency were to be identified based on MPs’ recommendations.
However, during the project’s first year, MPs from the 10th National Assembly did not provide a school list, and Awami League MPs, despite a strong majority in the 11th Assembly, failed to submit lists over the following five years.
MPs from constituencies such as Dhaka-3, Dhaka-4, Dhaka-6, Dhaka-7, Dhaka-12, Dhaka-15, and Dhaka-16 left 17 schools unnamed up until the dissolution of the 12th National Parliament.
Additionally, 67 schools proposed by MPs were found unsuitable for vertical expansion due to structural constraints.
Project Director Afroza Begum, Superintending Engineer of the Education Engineering Department (EED), noted that the project’s delays stemmed from a range of factors, including the Covid-19 crisis, rising construction costs, and procurement challenges. She anticipated the project’s completion in December 2024, more than doubling the initial timeframe.
She added that the failure of MPs to provide accurate school listings has deprived some institutions of critical development.
