Bangladesh has 20,183,048 students enrolled in primary education from pre-primary through Class 5, currently operating one of the world’s largest primary education systems, according to the World Bank. Analyses by the institution and various education assessment reports indicate that the system also faces severe weaknesses, experiencing a major learning crisis, with 51 percent of 10-year-old students unable to read and understand age-appropriate Bangla and English texts. They are also failing to acquire grade-level mathematical skills.

Bangladesh’s primary education system faces a dual reality of scale and fragility. While it is one of the world’s largest primary education systems, it continues to confront various institutional and structural constraints. A vast number of children are enrolled in primary education, with state-provided educational opportunities extending from urban areas to chars, haor regions, hill tracts and coastal areas, representing a major achievement for Bangladesh.

The World Bank’s program information document titled “Learning Enhancement and Acceleration in Primary Education in Bangladesh” highlights significant gaps in students’ proficiency in Bangla, English and Mathematics. Published this year, the report says Bangladesh has made steady progress over the past two decades in achieving universal access to primary education, increasing completion rates and attaining gender parity. But despite the expansion of primary education, major gaps remain in ensuring that students acquire grade-level competencies.

More than 20.18 million children are enrolled in 118,607 primary-level educational institutions of various types across the country, both public and private, according to the Annual Primary School Statistics 2024. Of these, 10,617,962 students are enrolled in 65,567 government primary schools, accounting for 52.60 percent of the total number of students. The report does not include data on students enrolled in Qawmi educational institutions.

Several structural and institutional factors have been identified as contributing to learning gaps at the primary level, such as weak teaching methods, inadequate school leadership, insufficient infrastructure, climate-related disruptions and underfunding of education.

Educationists say these problems hinder the development of essential life skills, which are crucial for students’ future learning and employability. As preparations are made for the next phase of education reform, they say urgent attention should be given to ensuring equitable and quality learning opportunities for students in line with the changing demands of the labour market and society.

Those involved in primary education say the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, repeated curriculum changes and inadequate budgetary allocation and planning for education have played a major role in the learning crisis. Mostafizur Rahman Shahin, general secretary of the Bangladesh Primary Teachers’ Association, told Bonik Barta, “Primary schools across the country remained closed for nearly two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. This created a major learning gap among students. Despite announcing various plans to address the gap, they weren’t very effective. Students have also become increasingly indifferent and inattentive toward their studies in the post-pandemic period. The latest National Student Assessment (NSA) reflected the impact of this trend. A large number of teachers are also currently frustrated over their professional opportunities and benefits. As they lag behind in salaries, allowances and other facilities, talented people are becoming less interested in joining the profession.”

He further said, “The negative impact of this reality is also being felt in classroom teaching. The government needs a long-term and effective plan to address the situation. It’s essential to ensure the necessary facilities and benefits for the teaching profession so that talented people become interested in joining it. Stipends for students also need to be increased, and it’s important to ensure that the money is actually spent on purchasing educational materials. We often see that students are unable to buy necessary educational materials because of financial constraints. This is also one of the reasons behind the learning gap.”

A research report published this year by the National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE) found that teachers in Bangladesh are significantly behind in digital education and 21st-century skills. Nearly 60 percent of teachers consider themselves skilled in these areas. But in practice, only one-quarter of teachers are able to demonstrate these skills in the classroom. The report, titled “Exploring Government Primary School Teachers’ Understanding and Implementation Challenges of the 21st Century Skills in Bangladesh,” was prepared based on an analysis of data from more than 13,000 teachers across 16 upazilas in eight divisions.

Meanwhile, there are currently 65,553 head teacher positions across the country, of which 27,734 are vacant, according to data from the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE). Assistant teachers are currently serving in an acting capacity in these positions. At a discussion meeting titled “Community Engagement in Primary Education” held at the DPE’s conference room on August 13, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj said that the recruitment process for 32,000 head teachers in government primary schools had begun.

The World Bank’s report in question was prepared in consideration of the institution’s financing for the Fifth Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-5). The proposal is still awaiting approval, according to the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. The project has an estimated cost of BDT 417.61 billion, of which BDT 334.74 billion will come from government expenditure and BDT 78.87 billion from grants provided by development partners. The development partners include the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank, the European Union, UNICEF and UNESCO.

The project has eight key objectives, including providing school uniforms, bags, shoes and socks; providing teachers with tab and training; planting trees under the “One Student, One Tree” green schooling initiative; establishing multimedia classrooms and providing digital devices; implementing School-Level Improvement Plans (SLIPs); providing training for all teachers, officials, employees and relevant personnel; constructing 15,641 classrooms, 1,500 wash blocks, 10,000 boundary walls and parents’ sheds; and implementing the Foundation Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) programme.

Educationists say that improving the quality of education requires ensuring competent teachers and quality classroom instruction above all else.

Professor Dr Abdus Salam, a faculty member at the Institute of Education and Research (IER) at the University of Dhaka, said, “The government is talking about one teacher-one tab and a new curriculum. But neither of these will contribute much to improving the education quality unless we can ensure competent and talented teachers and proper classroom instruction. To ensure talented and competent teachers, the first requirement is to provide primary school teachers with appropriate facilities and social recognition. We raised the issue of establishing a Primary Education Cadre as early as during PEDP-2. Had this been implemented, there would have been little doubt about ensuring talented and competent teachers at the primary level. The second issue is ensuring proper teaching and monitoring.”

He further said, “There’s a need to change the curriculum, but that doesn’t mean the entire curriculum has to be changed 100 percent. The government must remain cautious to ensure that future projects don’t remain limited merely to constructing buildings, as was the case with projects undertaken by the previous government. Instead, they must ensure improvements in the quality of education.”

The NSA Report reveals the learning gaps among primary-level students. DPE’s Monitoring and Evaluation Division prepares the report every two years, based on the Bangla and Mathematics skills of students in Class 3 and Class 5 to determine their achievement level. The latest report was prepared in 2022. In 2022, 51 percent of Class 3 students had achieved the desired grade-level proficiency in Bangla, while 39 percent had achieved the expected level in mathematics, according to the report. Among Class 5 students, the corresponding figures were 50 percent in Bangla and 30 percent in mathematics.

Rasheda K Choudhury, former adviser to the caretaker government and executive director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), told Bonik Barta: “The findings of various government and private-sector studies, including the World Bank’s report, point to the same reality. There’s a major gap in students’ learning skills in Bangladesh. The education system has still not fully recovered from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. Longstanding weaknesses in the management of the education system have also prevented the situation from improving as expected. The instability and disorder that have emerged across educational institutions, from primary to higher education, over the past two years have yet to be fully resolved.”

“The government has said that it’ll reform the education system, with particular emphasis on primary education. But merely reforming the curriculum won’t be enough; effective measures must be taken after identifying the overall management and structural weaknesses of the education system. The weaknesses highlighted in research and media reports also need to be taken into consideration. We’ve been calling for a permanent education commission for a long time to identify and address the challenges facing the education sector,” he further said.

A comparison with the NSA Report from a decade ago also shows that, despite the expenditure of substantial amounts of money under various projects, the proportion of students achieving grade-level proficiency has declined in some areas during this period. 67 percent of Class 3 students had achieved the desired grade-level proficiency in Bangla and 50 percent in mathematics, according to the 2011 NSA Report. Among Class 5 students, the corresponding figures were 25 percent in Bangla and 33 percent in mathematics.

Accordingly, over roughly a decade, the proportion of Class 3 students achieving the desired grade-level proficiency in Bangla declined by 16 percentage points and 11 percentage points in Mathematics. Among Class 3 students, performance in Bangla improved, while performance in Mathematics declined by 6 percentage points.

During this period, however, more than BDT 330 billion was spent on the development of primary education. Of this, around BDT 181.53 billion was spent under the Third Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-3). The then government launched the project in 2011 with the goal of “ensuring quality education for all children in primary education”, and completed in December 2017. Soon afterwards, in July 2018, the government of that time launched the Fourth Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-4), and spent BDT 153.19 billion by July 2022. Altogether, approximately BDT 334.73 billion was spent on primary education development under the two projects between 2011 and 2022.

To overcome this situation and ensure that children acquire grade-level learning competencies, the current government is emphasising “Learning with Happiness” in primary education. Mahdi Amin, the Prime Minister’s Education and Primary and Mass Education adviser, told Bonik Barta, “As part of the long-standing collapse of the state structure, the education system was also devastated. So the education system is being restructured from the ground up. To ensure that students acquire grade-level learning competencies, an initiative has been taken to introduce the Learning with Happiness approach to teaching. A ‘One Teacher, One Tab’ programme is being launched so that teachers can conduct lessons using engaging content, including pictures, videos, documentaries, songs and music. Multimedia classrooms are also being established in schools.”

Stressing that the government is also prioritising the recruitment of skilled primary school teachers as well as sports and cultural activities, the PM’s adviser further said, “Emphasis is being placed on recruiting and training skilled teachers to ensure quality teaching. Sports and culture are also being given greater importance in the education system. A football tournament for primary school children has already been held, with 2.2 million students from across the country taking part. Two textbooks on sports and culture will be introduced from Class 4. In short, educational activities will become more creative and inclusive in the coming days. Classrooms will also be made more engaging for teaching and learning.”