POBNEWS24, Dhaka Jan 21, 2025 : Civil life is becoming increasingly difficult. The life of the capital Dhaka has undergone a major change in the past few years. At the beginning of the year, a pile of expenses comes like a boulder. Rent, children’s education costs increase. Added to this are inflation or VAT-tax, rising gas and electricity prices, and additional commodity prices due to the global economic situation.
Education and health are our fundamental rights. Yet, a large portion of income goes to these two sectors every year. In case of admission to a good school or a major illness, the expenses have to be met by borrowing. This is putting additional pressure on parents. Many are also forced to cut down on non-vegetarian and protein foods to reduce expenses.
Along with the rent, a financial crisis arises at the beginning of the year to meet the education expenses of the child. Although the prices of raw vegetables are within reach, the purchasing power is decreasing due to the increase in prices of rice, pulses and other daily necessities and high inflation. Along with some other measures to save costs, they are being forced to change the food list. Non-vegetarian and protein are being cut. Due to this, family members are being affected by diseases and illnesses. Along with education expenses and illnesses, changing the food menu does not bring relief.
We spoke to Borhan Uddin, a grocer from Shahjahanpur area of the capital. He lives with his two sons, daughter and wife. Borhan told Jago News, ‘Education is called the backbone of the nation. The government needs to play an important role in nation-building. I know that in the developed world, education is free up to a certain age. However, in our country, a large part of the income goes towards the education of boys and girls. At the beginning of every year, I have to spend all the money saved for my boys and girls, as well as take out loans. School fees, coaching fees, assessment exam fees, new school uniforms and so on! Even after bringing some expenses from the village, I can’t go on, I have no savings. I have reduced my consumption of fish and meat.’
Hasib, a resident of Basabo area, spoke in the same tone. He works in a private organization. He lives with his daughter and wife. Hasib told Jago News, ‘At one time, I thought money would fly in Dhaka, but the reality is different. I came with good dreams. I will raise my children, I will have some savings. But far from saving, after admitting my child to a good educational institution, the monthly income ends before the 15th. When I have such diseases as fever and cold, I do not buy medicine. I work with all my heart, even if I have some pain, it goes away.’
Muntaha Tabassum-Sharif couple lives in Madhubagh area of Moghbazar with their two sons and daughter. Sharif’s monthly income is 35 thousand taka. The son is studying in nursery at a private educational institution. The daughter is studying at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College.
Tabassum told Jago News, “The cost of education for boys and girls is seven thousand taka per month. Children are small now, they often suffer from cold-related problems. We also do not have medical treatment. In total, another four thousand taka is spent on health. In total, 10 to 11 thousand taka is spent on education and health. If coaching and private tuition are provided, the cost will increase further.”
In this regard, Syed Abdul Hamid, a professor of health economics at Dhaka University, said, “The health sector should be kept on the priority list from the individual level to the state level. But it is not there anywhere. The government does not pay proper attention to this, which increases people’s expenditure on education and health. Of course, people are getting sicker because of our negligence about health. They are facing financial losses due to this.”
How much does it cost to educate and health?
A research report titled ‘Global Education Monitoring Report’ by UNESCO says that families have to bear 71 percent of the cost of educating children in Bangladesh. The fees and expenses of social organizations, NGOs or private schools are three times those of government institutions. In the case of private kindergartens, the amount of this expense is almost nine times. In South Asia, Bangladesh has the largest number of students in the private sector. While 94 percent of secondary school students are in private institutions. In South Asia, about 12 percent of families save, and 6 percent of families take out loans to pay school fees. About one-third of families take out loans to pay for their children’s education at private polytechnics.
A study by Education Watch-2023 says that in the first six months of last year, family education expenditure per student increased by 25 percent in primary and 51 percent in secondary compared to the previous year. The main reason for this expenditure is coaching-private and note guides.
The latest publication of the National Health Accounts, a branch of the Health Economics Unit, says that people in Bangladesh have to bear 68.5 percent of their medical expenses themselves. Bangladesh is only topped by Afghanistan on the list. The country’s citizens have to bear 78 percent of the costs themselves. The costs are constantly rising. In 2012, people in Bangladesh had to bear 62 percent of the costs for medical care.
A source from the SDG Action Alliance Bangladesh said that 46 percent of the country’s population faces some difficulty in meeting medical expenses. The country’s people are forced to finance about 70 percent of their health expenses themselves. The poorest 20 percent of families cannot even enjoy 20 percent of the government benefits in maternal and child health care. The government’s allocation is also insufficient to meet the needs of the poor population.
Experts have suggested increasing government allocations to the education and health sectors. They say that to have a developed nation, education and health sectors must be given importance. In this regard, educationist and chairman of the philosophy department of Jagannath University, Dr. Hafizul Islam told Jago News, ‘Education and health are among our fundamental rights. If these two sectors are not given more importance, the future will be threatened. The nation will be devoid of talent. Education and health should be made free, it would be better if this could be done, what is allocated is insufficient.’
A balanced diet is decreasing to save costs,
we spoke to a parent named Mita Roy from the Moghbazar Greenway area. She said, “People choose city life with the desire to raise their children. But after coming to this city, many parents are forced to keep their children away from protein. Unable to keep up with the rising prices of commodities, they have to lose their appetite. I cannot bring chicken and meat home. The children have also got tired of it. They are happy to share an egg. However, if the prices of everything are reduced, as well as education and health are made available to everyone, not only will we survive, but the country will also get the gift of a healthy nation. But I don’t know if that will be possible or not.”
The mess food menu
has also changed. While chicken was once a regular option, there are now fewer non-vegetarian and protein-rich foods.
When asked what is kept in the mess, Yarul Islam told Jago News, “All of our messes are students. Everyone has classes in the morning. So, instead of eating in the morning, we cook two meals (lunch and dinner). Now we have vegetables or potato stew. Along with thin lentils. Even if there is an egg, one egg is fried and divided into two. Now the regular food is gourd, sweet pumpkin, and jalikum. Being students, it is not too difficult for everyone to adapt to this food.”
We talked about these with public health expert Dr. Lelin Chowdhury. He told Jago News, ‘People’s purchasing power has decreased due to the rise in the prices of daily necessities. Now they have changed their food list to save money. Among the five basic food ingredients, rice is the carbohydrate, its price has also increased a lot. Moreover, the price of meat and fatty foods has also increased. As a result, the quality of food has inevitably declined. There is a shortage of those ingredients that a person needs to eat a balanced diet every day to stay healthy. It is negatively affecting people’s health. As a result, he is not able to take the amount of protein that his body needs.’
Dr. Lelin said, ‘These reasons are causing malnutrition in the body of a person. Naturally, when malnutrition occurs, the body’s immune system decreases. People are then attacked by various diseases and pests. People’s ability to work decreases. National labor hours are wasted, which affects national production and has a serious negative impact on the economy.’
Dr. Abdul Hamid, a professor at the Department of Health Economics at Dhaka University, said, “We pay taxes to get a return on our investment. We should spend 30 percent from our pockets, and the remaining 70 percent will come from the government or some other mechanism. But in our case, it’s the opposite: here, 70 to 75 percent is spent from our pockets, and the government pays 25 percent. That means the burden on health is much higher.”
He said, “Again, 90 percent of education comes from our pockets, while the government pays the remaining 10 percent. Here too, the opposite is happening. We pay taxes but do not get a return. The developed world gets a return on taxes by paying taxes. If they do not get a return, the interest in paying taxes decreases. There is also a high tendency to evade taxes. This has a direct impact on poor families. These families either have to sacrifice education, health or nutrition.”
