Govt social research wing faces fund constraints
Monday, 29 November 2010
Government's social science research wing, which has conducted 186 in-depth social research in the last five years is now facing acute fund shortage as the allocation for research remained stagnated for a long time to Tk 10 million (one crore) annually, reports BSS.
The sources at the Bangladesh Social Science Research Council (BSSRC) under Planning Ministry said the lone council of research under the ministry was expecting a rise in the budget as demand for social research has increased significantly.
"For budget constraints, we are not able to provide respectable remuneration as well as operational cost to the researchers," a top official of the BSSRC told the news agency Sunday.
"Although the reputed researchers or meritorious postgraduate students are showing their keen interest in conducting research under the government initiative, they could not be accommodated, so they look for consultancy elsewhere", he said.
He said the worldwide recognised policy method is to allocate at least 2.5 per cent of total budget to the research sector for maintaining social and economic growth.
The council has sought Tk 50 million each year from the next fiscal year to expedite as well as involve more people in its research programmes.
It has also proposed a climate change related research work styled 'Capacity building of social science research council for conducting research and knowledge management relating to climate change' to the Forests and Environment Ministry.
"We sought Tk 50 million allocation from the ministry's Climate Change Trust Fund to conduct the project," the official said.
He said the proposed research work on climate change would help the policy makers in adopting adaptation policy and measures to face the adverse effects of climate change.
Chairman of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Economist Qazi Kholiqu-zzaman Ahmad said resource persons are losing their interest in conducting research as they were paid more for conducting consultancy or if employed by NGOs.
More allocation for the research work is a must to come out from this "distorted practice of consultancy", he said.
The eminent economist viewed that the government should turn the BSSRC into an autonomous body for making it a strong central organisation to patronize research works across the country.
The sources at the Bangladesh Social Science Research Council (BSSRC) under Planning Ministry said the lone council of research under the ministry was expecting a rise in the budget as demand for social research has increased significantly.
"For budget constraints, we are not able to provide respectable remuneration as well as operational cost to the researchers," a top official of the BSSRC told the news agency Sunday.
"Although the reputed researchers or meritorious postgraduate students are showing their keen interest in conducting research under the government initiative, they could not be accommodated, so they look for consultancy elsewhere", he said.
He said the worldwide recognised policy method is to allocate at least 2.5 per cent of total budget to the research sector for maintaining social and economic growth.
The council has sought Tk 50 million each year from the next fiscal year to expedite as well as involve more people in its research programmes.
It has also proposed a climate change related research work styled 'Capacity building of social science research council for conducting research and knowledge management relating to climate change' to the Forests and Environment Ministry.
"We sought Tk 50 million allocation from the ministry's Climate Change Trust Fund to conduct the project," the official said.
He said the proposed research work on climate change would help the policy makers in adopting adaptation policy and measures to face the adverse effects of climate change.
Chairman of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Economist Qazi Kholiqu-zzaman Ahmad said resource persons are losing their interest in conducting research as they were paid more for conducting consultancy or if employed by NGOs.
More allocation for the research work is a must to come out from this "distorted practice of consultancy", he said.
The eminent economist viewed that the government should turn the BSSRC into an autonomous body for making it a strong central organisation to patronize research works across the country.