How Rational Is Establishing 600 Model Schools and Colleges?

Whenever a government assumes office, it often wants to introduce something exceptional in established fields without first considering whether those sectors truly require the proposed changes, while long-standing and urgent problems remain unresolved. As a result, such exceptional ideas sometimes appear absurd. Certain impractical proposals even raise questions as to whether decision-makers are acting out of overexcitement or being influenced by other considerations. According to media reports, the government plans to establish 600 model schools and colleges across the country to provide quality education to students in backward areas. 
At first glance, the initiative sounds quite promising, but does it really make any practical sense? The authorities argue that these institutions will serve as “centres of excellence” for talented children from low- and limited-income families. However, this explanation alone is not convincing. Bangladesh is already losing arable lands due to industrialisation, housing, market expansion, and the growth of various social institutions. Protecting cultivable land has become increasingly difficult because of both controlled and uncontrolled encroachment. In such a situation, the government should pay serious attention to these concerns. Establishing 600 institutions, each requiring three acres of land, would surely consume a vast amount of valuable lands. But does that necessarily guarantee better education? Moreover, when new institutions are built, what will happen to the existing ones? Can the country realistically afford a project costing Tk 68,442 crore?
Now, let’s shift our attention to something else for a while. This year, nearly half of the HSC candidates missed the examination. Student absenteeism is common, particularly in government institutions. Not only that, students often fail to acquire the necessary skills, while traditional examination questions continue to be repeated year after year without properly assessing real learning outcomes. Consequently, many students obtain certificates but remain unable to meet market demands. However, the underlying causes behind this situation are rarely examined.
The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education’s own research indicates that students are failing to achieve expected proficiency in English, mathematics, and even Bengali. More than 18 per cent of teaching posts in government secondary schools remain vacant. Because of inadequate classroom instruction, students increasingly depend on private coaching and tutoring. UNESCO data indicates that parents bear about 71 per cent of total education costs.
Therefore, instead of focusing solely on large isolated projects, the education administration should prioritise the effective use of limited resources by improving the quality of existing schools and colleges, filling teacher vacancies, and addressing widespread learning gaps. Among the country’s 702 government secondary schools, 383 head teacher posts remain vacant. A similar situation exists in around 66,000 government primary schools, where almost half operate without head teachers because of retirements and transfers. Yet no effective policy has been developed to address this persistent problem.
There are many existing public and private educational institutions with substantial areas of unused or underutilised land. The education ministry had better identify such land and expand facilities there by adding departments, classrooms, hostels and other infrastructure. That would be a more practical approach.
Before making a final decision on taking the project of constructing the model institutions, the government should carefully assess long-term operational costs, teacher recruitment capacity and the reasons behind the failures of previous projects to ensure that any new initiative becomes part of a sustainable and comprehensive education strategy.
If the government genuinely wishes to expand cadet-college-style education, it could accommodate more students within the existing cadet colleges by constructing additional hostels and academic buildings. The twelve existing cadet colleges have sufficient land to increase intake significantly without putting further pressure on agricultural land. 
Similarly, many government schools and colleges could be renovated to create a better academic environment. Some of these institutions could be incorporated into the proposed initiative instead of building entirely new campuses.
The ministry should first develop a clear area-wise assessment of educational institutions and determine whether existing facilities meet the needs of local populations. Many institutions could be transformed into attractive and effective centres of learning if proper attention were given to them.
If the government truly wants to extend cadet-college-type education, it should entrust the responsibility to the existing cadet college authorities, which are still regarded as comparatively disciplined institutions. Moreover, the government could nationalise schools and colleges in the remotest areas of the country and offer significantly higher salaries and incentives to teachers willing to serve there. Such measures might create a stronger educational environment for students in backward and hard-to-reach regions.
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The writer is President, English Teachers’ Association of Bangladesh (ETAB)