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A government project launched more than a decade ago to establish a technical school and college in 100 upazilas each has not finished yet, despite being scheduled for completion within two years and a half.
Approved in early 2014 with an estimated cost of Tk 9.24 billion, it has achieved only 70 per cent progress.
Being implemented by the Directorate of Technical Education under the Technical and Madrasah Education Division (TMED), it was supposed to be completed by June 2016.
The project has already been extended six times, and the TMED has now sought an additional 18-month extension until June 2027, according to officials at the Planning Commission.
They said the TMED has sent the extension proposal with a revised cost of over Tk 25.25 billion, 2.73 times higher than the initial estimation.
Seventy-two of the 100 institutions have so far been constructed, while 66 have been conditionally handed over.
Delays in equipment supply, tendering, and substation installations have hindered the progress of the remaining institutions, necessitating another extension to complete the physical and educational components, according to the proposal.
The extension proposal said rising global inflation, the Russia-Ukraine war, and energy price hikes have disrupted supply chains and driven up construction costs, pushing the cost of several institutions beyond their allocated budgets.
Besides, the delays in installing power substations and supplying trade-specific equipment have further stalled procurement and slowed implementation, officials said.
As per the proposal, recognising the importance of transforming a large segment of the country's population into skilled human resources, the government plans to establish a technical school and college in each upazila.
The plan in the first phase was to set up a technical school and college in 100 upazilas each, prioritising the expansion of technical and vocational education nationwide. Proper implementation of the project was expected to produce 108,000 technically skilled graduates annually.
Quoting the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' Labour Force Survey (LFS), the project proposal highlighted that professionals with technical education and training earn substantially more than their peers.
This underscores the project's potential to boost employment opportunities and income levels for the country's youth, it said.
The revised development project proposal (RDPP) also reflects changes in administrative and overhead expenses due to the new economic codes introduced by the finance ministry.
The project initially aimed to contribute to poverty reduction, employment generation, and enhanced productivity by producing a technically skilled workforce for both domestic and overseas job markets.
But after more than a decade, its contribution remains limited.
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