TDS Desk:

The government approved a project six years ago to establish 23 new polytechnic institutes in as many districts to cater to the increased demand for skilled workers.

Though these institutes, aimed at boosting technical education enrolment and addressing future job market demands, were supposed to be ready by 2021, the construction work has not yet begun due to different reasons, including land acquisition delays.

Project Director Monirul Islam Patwary, joint secretary of the Directorate of Technical Education, told that work on the polytechnic institutes has not started yet due to difficulty in acquiring and developing land and changes to the schedule of rates.

He also said it will not be possible to complete the project, which has so far seen time extension twice, within the extended deadline and thus a hike in costs and another time extension will be proposed again.

In 2018, the government decided to establish a polytechnic institute in Sadar upazila of Netrokona district. The aim was to enrol 400 students annually in a four-year diploma engineering course starting in 2021. Although five acres of land were acquired for Tk13.53 crore in November 2020, no construction has begun yet.

After visiting Bilguzabgi Mauja, two kilometres from the district town of Netrokona, it was found that there were no signs of construction or even signboards. The land remains undeveloped, with local people using it for grazing cattle.

Like Netrokona, work on a total of 23 polytechnic institutes across the country has stagnated, according to a recent report by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Planning Ministry.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved a project costing Tk3691.30 crore in October 2018 to establish these institutes in 23 districts of the country’s eight divisions. Completion was originally targeted for June 2021, with the goal of increasing technical education enrolment to 25% by 2025, accommodating 9,200 students each year.

Despite two extensions, the project is far behind schedule. Though the implementation period has been extended to June 2025, only Tk345.82 crore (9.47%) of the revised estimated cost has been spent.

The IMED’s detailed monitoring report revealed various issues, including delays in land acquisition and development.

Land for construction has been handed over to the Education Engineering Department (EED) in 16 districts, but alternative land is being sought in Meherpur and Bandarban due to the suspension of money distribution. Suitable land has not been found for polytechnic institutes in Gaibandha, Khagrachhari, Narayanganj, Noakhali and Rajbari districts.

The project initially allocated Tk764 crore for land acquisition for a total of 115 acres, which was revised down to Tk496.13 crore. Of this, Tk313.89 crore (63.25%) has been spent. The land development work has begun in nine districts, with tender evaluations ongoing in two others. However, only Bagerhat polytechnic institute has made significant progress, having received work orders for its administrative building construction.

The IMED identified several weaknesses and risks in the project, including decision-making delays, land acquisition complexities and unprepared structural designs. The report recommended amendments to the project to address these issues and start construction.

The project’s background highlights the importance of technical education in meeting labour market demands. The government aims to transform Bangladesh’s population into skilled human resources, increasing technical education enrolment to 25% by 2025.

Currently, the country has 49 polytechnic institutes, four of which are dedicated to women. The new polytechnic institutes are intended to enrol 9,200 students annually, offering four-year diploma courses in engineering in selected trades.

The failure to start construction has delayed the project significantly, with only 17% actual progress made by March. IMED’s report emphasised the need for prompt action to complete the project and meet the government’s technical education goals.