Day-care centres for the protection of children of working parents have become very important in these times. At one time, day-care centres were considered necessary only for large cities and metropolitan areas. But due to the huge increase in the number of working women across the country, the need for child day-care centres has also increased at the district and upazila levels. It is very positive that the government is looking into this issue. According to media reports, the government has recently decided to set up 8,000 day-care centres to ensure the safety and care of the children of working women. For this purpose, initially child care institutes will be set up in 45 upazilas of the country. These 8,000 centres will be run under these institutes with assistance from various non-governmental organisations (NGOs). But after reviewing and evaluating various aspects of the proposed project, it is seen that this important project is not well-planned but is full of inconsistencies.
The Planning Commission has already questioned the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs about the cost of the project and the legitimacy of taking the services of NGOs as collaborators in the management of the project. According to the proposal, the implementation of the project is expected to be completed by June 2024, starting this year. The cost of the project has been estimated at around Tk310 crore. Of this, over Tk258 crore has been allocated for NGOs, meaning that five-sixths of the total fund will be spent on buying services from NGOs.
Besides, it is also necessary to mention some other major inconsistencies. The Bangladesh Shishu Academy under the same ministry has been entitled as the implementing agency of the project. But the chairman of Bangladesh Shishu Academy recently told the media that he did not know anything about the project. He also mentioned that the already functional centres under the Shishu Academy in different parts of the country can be used by the working women for child care. The question is: what does the ministry really want? Expanding the child protection network by developing the existing government structure or increasing working opportunities for NGOs under the government project?
In this regard, another issue demands serious consideration. According to the ministry’s proposal, child care institutes will be set up in 45 upazilas of the country initially. The institutes will operate 8,000 day-care centres. This is not understandable. An institute is a centre for specialised education and research in a particular field. It is a great pleasure if the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs really wants to establish a child care institute to improve the quality of child protection and care in the country. But what does it mean to set up institutes in 45 upazilas? The ministry, instead, may set up coordination centres for child day-care centres in all upazilas of the country under a central child care institute. Meanwhile, a law titled ‘Child Day Care Centre Act 2021’ has also been passed recently. Whether the law of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs has anything to do with this law needs to be discussed. Child day-care centres are a must across the country. But in doing so, the waste of resources and capacity in a messy project is by no means desirable.
