Private universities for removing increased supplementary duty on mobile calls, internet

The Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh (APUB) has urged the government to abolish the increased supplementary duty on mobile calls and internet for the sake of the students who are trying to study online amid the closure of all educational institutions due to the novel coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The supplement duty has been increased from 5 percent to 15 percent in the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2020-21.

The association also requested the introduction of high capacity internet services on all campuses for free, read a press issued on Monday.

The association asked for an affordable "special education internet packages" for the students, saying that the universities can offer these "special packages" to their students concerned in the same way that mobile operators offer internet to their customers.

An application has already been sent to the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology in this regard, read the press release.

Besides, they also sought an allocation in the new budget in order to ensure salaries and allowances of the private university employees and staff.

In the proposed fiscal year 2020-21 budget, a total of Tk66,401 crore was allocated for the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, and the Ministry of Education's Secondary and Higher Education Division and Technical and Madrasa Education Division.

The allocation for the country's education sector is 11.69 percent of the whole budget, which is 0.01 percent more than the outgoing fiscal year.

Since the end of March, the country's private universities, along with a large number of schools and colleges, have been forced by Covid-19 to become fully dependent on virtual learning.