SHED proposes 53pc allocation cut in RADP

The Secondary and Higher Education Division (SHED) has proposed a sharp contraction of its Annual Development Programme (ADP) for FY26, seeking to cut Tk 72.22 billion - more than 53 per cent of its current ADP allocation.
It recently submitted a revised ADP (RADP) proposal of Tk 64.03 billion to the Planning Commission, down from the original Tk 136.25 billion.
The project-wise allocation is set to decline significantly from the original amount of Tk 119.17 billion to Tk 64.03 billion under the RADP, despite the number of projects increasing to 70 from the starting of the fiscal year.
In addition, the division has opted to drop its entire block allocation of Tk 17.08 billion from the original ADP.
Experts warn that repeated cuts and low utilisation in the division highlight deep-rooted weaknesses in project readiness and execution capacity.
Without stronger planning and faster implementation, higher allocations are unlikely to translate into meaningful improvements in the sector, they say.
Earlier, the Programming Division of the Planning Commission initiated sector- and division-wise adjustments to frame a Tk 2.0 trillion RADP, down from the original Tk 2.3 trillion ADP.
Although the government plans to reduce the overall ADP by Tk 300 billion, the cut sought by the Secondary and Higher Education Division alone accounts for about 24.07 per cent of the total.
The proposal also shows a major contraction in government-funded components.
The allocation from domestic sources is set to fall to Tk 55.49 billion from Tk 105.95 billion - a reduction of 47.63 per cent.
Meanwhile, allocations from foreign sources would decline by 35.37 per cent, from Tk 13.21 billion to Tk 8.54 billion.
The allocation for Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education is set to be reduced to Tk 21.43 billion, 39.29 per cent lower than the original Tk 35.31 billion.
The Education Engineering Department (EED) is set to lose 74.57 per cent of its allocation, from Tk 24.66 billion to Tk 6.27 billion.
The allocation for the University Grants Commission (UGC) is to be reduced by Tk 21.43 billion, from Tk 56.05 billion to Tk 34.62 billion.
Data from the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) reveals that the Secondary and Higher Education Division continues to face deepening gaps between its ADP allocations, revised outlays, and actual spending, with a persistent pattern of sharp RADP cuts and weak utilisation.
Although the division's ADP allocation has generally increased - from Tk 85.96 billion in FY20 to Tk 119.17 billion in FY26 - large portions of the funds have repeatedly been trimmed at the revision stage.
In recent years, more than half of the original allocations were cut due to slow project execution.
Utilisation has also remained consistently low.
Spending fell from Tk 62.11 billion in FY20 to Tk 43.48 billion in FY25, even as allocations rose.
For FY26, the division has so far utilised only Tk 8.83 billion in the first four months.
The trend highlights chronic implementation bottlenecks and raises concerns that without major improvements in project execution capacity, higher allocations will continue to translate into limited on-the-ground progress in the education sector.

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