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dysfunctional, and less than 2 percent of the national budget goes to social sectors, with funds inconsistently disbursed, she also said.

Vaccine shortages stem from poor planning, she said, adding, “There’s zero tracking in WASH.”

Flowers urged raising health spending to 2 percent of GDP, investing in teacher training and digital tools, and shifting to long-term, government-led programmes focused on women and children.

Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star, echoed the call for urgent reform. “Children are the future of every nation, yet our history shows we have failed to prioritise their welfare,” he said.

He criticised the country’s underinvestment in children’s affairs and education and talked about the prevalence of corruption and waste in these sectors.

“We not only spend less than we should, but much of what we do spend is misused -- through poor planning, misjudgement, misallocation, and yes, corruption,” he said.

Calling for a complete overhaul, Mahfuz Anam urged Bangladesh to abandon outdated approaches and adopt more efficient, forward-thinking policies.

Michael Kreja, head of development cooperation at the EU Delegation to Bangladesh, said education spending has stagnated at around 12 percent of the national budget and just 1.69 percent of GDP -- far below Unesco’s 4–6 percent benchmark.

He called for a shift toward quality, job-relevant education, alongside investment in digital learning and teacher reform.

With Bangladesh set to graduate from LDC status in 2026, he stressed the need for tax reforms and digitalisation to boost domestic revenue and ensure sustainable financing.

Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education, stressed the need to track budget flows and shift from fragmented, project-based models to integrated, sustained programmes.

She also criticised delays that led to Bangladesh missing half of its Global Partnership for Education funds, blaming poor coordination and failure to submit a roadmap.

Jahangirnagar University economics professor Dr Sharmind Neelormi highlighted the intersection of children’s issues, including drug abuse, unsafe recreational spaces, youth gang activity, and child marriage.

On education, she said expecting quality teaching from educators earning a basic salary of Tk 11,000 per month is unrealistic.

She also criticised politicised curriculum development and noted that despite tax exemptions for childcare and eldercare businesses, private daycare remains unaffordable for many.

UN Women Representative Gitanjali Singh urged reassessing how gender-responsive budgeting is measured.

“Although 34 percent of the budget is now labelled as gender-responsive, the outcomes for women and children remain dismal,” she said.

Nishath Sultana, director of influencing, campaign and communication at Plan International Bangladesh, said, “Domestic violence has risen by 70 percent, while 94 percent of women who go out for work or education report harassment and 80 percent say they feel unsafe in the city.”

She called for cultural and political shifts to address these issues, including redefining masculinity and tackling the root causes.

Dr Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, special assistant to the chief adviser, Economic Relations Division; Mamtaz Ahmed NDC, senior secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA); Prof Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow at CPD; and Dilara Begum, joint secretary, MoWCA, were among the speakers at the event, moderated by Tanjim Ferdous, in-charge of NGOs and Foreign Mission at The Daily Star.