New Government Expected to Fix Issues with Education

A new government was formed on 17 February under the able leadership of Tarique Rahman following the thirteenth national election, in which the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won a landslide victory. People’s expectations of this government are higher than of any previous one.
Education, one of the most significant sectors of the country, expects a sea change. Quality education must come first, as standards have declined to an alarming level. With government support, NGOs, and community initiatives, the number of educational institutions and girls’ participation in education has increased. However, several challenges remain, including low literacy rates, high dropout rates, and poor-quality education. Despite free primary education and government-provided textbooks, over 4.3 million children aged 6-15 are not attending school, and dropout rates are particularly high in rural areas.
Amid this critical situation, many students have left their desks and resorted to street protests sometimes for valid reasons, sometimes for negligible causes, and sometimes without clear justification, creating a mob culture that has engulfed the education system from remote areas to Dhaka, from primary schools to tertiary institutions. Students must focus on their studies and develop critical thinking skills to shoulder future responsibilities to their families, society, and the country, leaving behind unruly paths. The honour of teachers has been severely undermined since the July uprising, allowing opportunists to exploit the situation. Teachers from primary level to universities have been threatened, attacked, and even manhandled by students chanting slogans against headteachers, principals, and vice-chancellors. The state must not allow this disorder to continue. Institutional governance and service matters must be regulated by law, not by the whimsical decisions of students, if normalcy and stability are to be restored.
If we can ensure a peaceful and congenial atmosphere in higher educational institutions and provide quality, globally competitive education, Bangladesh could attract students from neighbouring countries in medicine, agriculture, engineering, MBA, and other technical fields, creating another source of foreign exchange. Students from several Asian and African countries already study in private universities in Bangladesh, but concerns about security and educational quality discourage further growth. This area demands serious attention from the new government.

Many teachers lack both adequate subject knowledge and effective teaching tools, often relying on rote learning rather than meaningful engagement. While many educationists prescribe teacher training as the primary solution, training is rarely implemented effectively in classrooms. Teachers often attend sessions for financial benefits, to avoid classroom pressure for a few days, or to comply with directives rather than to develop professional skills. Although teachers, particularly at the primary and secondary levels, receive training under various projects and government initiatives, little improvement is visible in classroom delivery, conduct, or student performance. We frequently emphasise training, yet with nearly ten lakh teachers nationwide, universal training is neither practical nor sustainable.
Instead, teachers should engage in continuous self-study and research within their institutions, regularly presenting papers and organising seminars and workshops to demonstrate and refine their skills. A survey should assess the real impact of training on classroom outcomes. Moreover, teacher recruitment such as through the NTRCA examination must be made genuinely competitive and comprehensive. If recruitment standards are strengthened, the need for frequent training would decrease. Repeated training also disrupts institutions, as teachers’ prolonged absence creates management problems and leaves classes unattended.
Simultaneously, the government must abolish the practice of forming school and college committees based on partisan considerations, which has damaged the quality of non-government institutions. Local leaders often seek committee positions for financial gain or influence, undermining the educational environment. During the previous authoritarian regime, such practices harmed the system, and people do not wish to see their repetition.
In its election manifesto, BNP pledge to allocate 5 per cent of GDP to education is a commendable commitment. However, how this money will be spent requires serious scrutiny. According to the World Bank’s Public Expenditure Review, Bangladesh’s budget execution rate is about 85 per cent. Delays, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and weak project management reduce impact. Simply increasing expenditure without improving governance and oversight risks wasting valuable opportunities for transformation.
The lack of vocational and technical education widens the gap between graduates’ skills and labour market demands. Industries struggle to find individuals with technical expertise, hindering economic growth. As a result, unemployment and underemployment remain high, and human potential is wasted. A prevailing social stigma views vocational education as inferior to academic education, discouraging students from pursuing these paths. To address this, the government must invest in vocational training institutes, modernise curricula according to industry needs, and promote vocational education as a viable career option. Collaboration between government, educational institutions, and the private sector can bridge the gap between education and employment. Encouraging entrepreneurship among vocational graduates can generate jobs and stimulate economic growth.
The expansion of English-medium private schools for the elite, various types of madrasas for the poor, and mainstream government and semi-government schools for the majority reflects existing social realities. The elite rarely send their children to government schools or madrasas, while madrasa students seldom move to English-medium institutions. Introducing several common core subjects across all streams could promote shared knowledge of culture, tradition, and language without attempting to impose identical education on all, an unrealistic proposition.
To harness the country’s demographic dividend, we must bridge the gap between education and employment. Currently, over four million students are enrolled in 9,256 madrasas, yet English proficiency among them remains significantly lower than in other streams. Integrating both Arabic and English instruction in madrasas could expand employment opportunities, particularly in the Middle East. At the same time, as the global economy shifts toward Artificial Intelligence (AI), urgent curriculum reform is needed. Countries such as China, Vietnam, and Malaysia are embedding AI modules into school education. Bangladesh must introduce basic AI education to prepare students for careers in automation, data science, and digital services.
Finally, effective steps must be taken to develop genuine proficiency in English as a global language across all streams, rather than continuing to teach it merely as another academic subject, as has long been the practice.

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The writer is former faculty member of Ghatail Cantonment College, Sylhet, Cumilla and Mirzapur Cadet College, Rajuk Uttara Model College, BOU, and education expert at BRAC Education. He can be reached at [email protected]