DU announces Tk 10.35b budget for FY 26

Dhaka University authorities have announced a Tk 10.35 billion (Tk 1,035 crore) budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, up from Tk 9.93 billion in the previous year.

DU Treasurer Prof M Jahangir Alam Chowdhury presented the budget at a press conference held at the Abdul Matin Chowdhury Virtual Classroom on the campus on Tuesday.

There has been no significant change in allocation compared to the previous year.

As in previous years, the majority of the budget will be spent on salaries and allowances for the university's teachers and staff.

Of the total allocation: 28.34 per cent is earmarked for salaries; 20.84 per cent for allowances; 27.62 per cent for supply and service expenses; 13.41 per cent for pensions and retirement benefits; 4.28 per cent for capital grants; 3.31 per cent for other grants; 0.29 per cent for other capital grants; 0.41 per cent for ICT logistics; 0.16 per cent for transport; and only 0.10 per cent is allocated for health.

Research funding remains low, with just Tk 210 million, or 2.8 per cent of the total budget, allocated for the sector - slightly higher than last year's 2.2 per cent.

Of the total budget, 85.28 per cent (Tk 8.83 billion) will come from the University Grants Commission (UGC), while 8.69 per cent (Tk 900 million) will be sourced internally. The remaining Tk 620 million, or 6.03 per cent, has been shown as a budget deficit.

The DU treasurer said, "DU doesn't have the freedom to formulate the budget independently. The UGC allocates a fixed amount, beyond which we cannot go."

armanhossen7971@gmai.com