In 2018, the government embarked on an ambitious project to establish a polytechnic college in the Sadar Upazila of Netrakona district, with the goal of enrolling 400 students annually in a four-year diploma engineering course starting from 2021.
However, six years later, the Department of Technical Education under the Technical and Madrasa Education Division has yet to begin construction, despite completing the acquisition of five acres of land in November 2020 at a cost of Tk13.53 crore.
A visit to the proposed site at Bilguzabgi Mauza, 2 kilometres from the district headquarters via Netrakona Madan Road, revealed a lack of visible progress.
No signboards mark the land intended for the polytechnic, and the absence of a boundary wall has led locals to use the area for grazing cattle. The land has not been prepared for construction.
This stagnation is not unique to Netrakona.
According to a report by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning, similar delays plague the construction of 23 polytechnic colleges across the country.
In 2018, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved a project costing Tk3,691.30 crore to establish polytechnic colleges in districts without such institutions.
These colleges were intended to support the government's goal of increasing technical education enrollment to 25% by 2025, accommodating 9,200 students annually.
The project's completion was initially set for June 2021 but has been extended twice, with a new deadline of June 2025.
Financial progress has been slow, with only Tk345.82 crore (9.47% of the revised budget) spent so far.
An IMED report, developed with the help of a consultancy firm, indicates that land for 16 of the 23 districts has been handed over to the Education Engineering Department (EED) for construction.
However, issues remain.
Alternative land is being sought in Meherpur and Bandarban, and land acquisition in Gaibandha, Khagrachari, Narayanganj, Noakhali, and Rajbari has yet to be resolved.
Originally, Tk764 crore was allocated for 115 acres of land, but this amount was reduced to Tk496.13 crore. Of this, Tk313.89 crore (63.25%) has been spent on land acquisition.
Land development has commenced for nine institutes, with tender evaluations underway for two others.
The project plans include constructing 255 buildings across the 23 institutes, featuring administrative, academic, and workshop buildings, among others.
Despite this, Bagerhat Polytechnic is the only one where substantial progress has been made, with an order issued for the construction of its administrative building.
The IMED report highlights several factors contributing to delays, including a 3-month wait for administrative approval and a 5-month delay in appointing the project director.
Additionally, it took eight months to submit land acquisition proposals.
The project was further hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, listed in the “B” category for two fiscal years (2019-2021), leading to allocation shortfalls and subsequent delays in land acquisition.
As of March, only 17% of the project has been completed, with just 9.47% of the allocated funds spent.
The IMED report predicts that without further amendments, construction on many polytechnics cannot commence, and necessary equipment cannot be procured until buildings are completed.
The project aims to address the growing demand for skilled labour in the competitive global market by enhancing technical education in Bangladesh. It targets increasing technical education enrollment to 20% by 2020 and 25% by 2025.
Currently, the country has 49 polytechnic institutes, including four women's institutes, producing graduates ready for local and international job markets.
The initiative to establish 23 new polytechnics in underserved districts aims to develop skilled manpower to meet current and future job market demands. The project plans to admit 9,200 students annually into four-year diploma-in-engineering courses across various trades.
However, significant delays, land acquisition challenges, and financial constraints have hindered progress.
To move forward, the IMED recommends amending the project to address these issues and expedite construction.
