Facing intense scrutiny from the media and Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee over persistent delays and cost overruns, the government is executing a major overhaul of its Tk2,000-crore upazila technical education project.
The initiative — originally approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in June 2020 as the “Establishment of 329 Technical Schools and Colleges at Upazila Level (2nd Phase)” — will be re-scoped and rebranded.
The Planning Commission has instructed the Technical and Madrasa Education Division (TMED) to submit a revised proposal that better aligns with national workforce development goals.
In the meantime, the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) has conditionally extended the project’s completion target by three years, pushing the deadline from December 2025 to December 2028 without raising the overall budget.
It was originally scheduled for completion by December 2024. A first revision extended the deadline to December 2025, but that deadline is also set to be missed.
If the latest extension is approved, a project originally designed to be completed in about five years will take nearly nine years.
“The project is facing re-scoping in line with the government’s electoral pledges and priorities. Its name will also be changed to include all upazilas, including the new ones,” said SM Bashir Ullah, a senior education ministry official dealing with the matter.
He noted that the ministry has formally requested the Planning Commission for the timeline extension and will adhere to newly issued rules on project re-scoping and repurposing.
Scrutiny prompts overhaul
State Minister for Planning Zohayed Saki directed officials to prepare an IMED report on the root causes of the project’s prolonged delay and implementation problems.
The directive came while the project’s first revised Development Project Proposal was under review.
Official documents say the project remains consistent with the government’s election manifesto and therefore cannot simply be abandoned. Instead, officials have been asked to prepare a re-scoped proposal to address implementation bottlenecks before committing additional time and resources.
A separate note by TMED’s Deputy Chief (Planning) says the project’s financial and time overruns have drawn questions from both the media and the PAC.
The note links the re-scoping and repurposing exercise to a Finance Division circular issued on July 8 and the government’s manifesto commitment to developing a skilled workforce.
Three-year extension with conditions
In response to TMED’s 29 June request, IMED issued its opinion on 23 July, allowing the project period to be extended until December 2028 without increasing its approved cost.
The extension, however, is subject to eight conditions aimed at preventing further delays.
IMED has instructed TMED to prioritise construction in upazilas where land acquisition has already been completed and settle outstanding contractor bills there.
The project office must appoint civil-works contractors according to the approved work plan and ensure timely completion without compromising construction quality.
TMED must also ensure adequate funding during the extended period and prevent unauthorised transfers between project components. Spending must remain within the approved ceiling for each component.
IMED has ordered weekly monitoring of progress by the project office and regular reporting to the division.
The ministry must follow Planning Division rules in appointing or removing the project director and hold regular meetings of the Project Steering Committee and Project Implementation Committee as required under the Development Project Proforma.
Monthly and quarterly progress data must also be kept updated on IMED’s electronic Project Monitoring Information System.
TMED has been asked to report on compliance with the conditions by 30 August.
Focus on skills development
The project was designed to expand technical and vocational education at the upazila level.
It envisages introducing vocational subjects alongside general education from Class VI to Class IX and launching SSC (Vocational) and HSC (Vocational) programmes in upazilas where such facilities are unavailable.
The project aims to create employment opportunities at home and abroad, particularly for working-age youth, while building a skilled workforce for a market-oriented economy.
It also includes construction of academic-cum-administrative buildings, teachers’ quarters and 100-seat student hostels, as well as land acquisition and development.
The project’s core objectives remain unchanged despite the planned re-scoping. The latest intervention is primarily aimed at addressing implementation failures that have slowed construction.
Project documents put the estimated cost at more than Tk2,000 crore, fully financed by the government without any foreign-aid component.
Execution remains the key concern
The project’s prolonged implementation reflects recurring problems in public-sector development projects, including delays in land acquisition, slow contractor recruitment, uneven fund utilisation and weak monitoring.
The extent of scrutiny and the decision to tie the proposed extension to specific corrective measures make the case notable.
The government is therefore not simply granting the project more time. It is seeking to redesign the scheme and impose tighter implementation and monitoring requirements before allowing it to continue until 2028.
The ministry’s compliance report, due by the end of this month, will be a key test of whether the project can overcome its long-running implementation problems.
The bigger challenge will be ensuring that the re-scoped and renamed project does not become another deadline extension without corresponding progress on the ground.