A long-standing weakness in Bangladesh’s education system is now becoming increasingly evident. In this year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations, 31.55 percent of students failed—a rate that is the highest since 2009. A breakdown of the results shows that a large portion of students performed poorly in mathematics and English. Experts say a child’s foundation in math and English is typically built at the primary level. But for years, issues such as lack of teachers’ mental preparedness, subject-specific expertise, and flawed recruitment practices have raised serious concerns about the quality of education. Students are entering secondary school with weak foundations, mainly due to unskilled teachers in primary classrooms.
A 2023 survey by the NGO WAVE Foundation revealed that 13.62 percent of students in grades one and two could not identify single-digit numbers in math. Furthermore, 79.53 percent of students could not solve two subtraction problems from the textbook, while 96.54 percent failed to solve two division problems.
In English, 16.78 percent of boys and 15.22 percent of girls in grades one and two could not read a single letter from their English textbooks. Meanwhile, 84.15 percent of boys and 82.86 percent of girls could not fluently read a story with fewer than three pronunciation mistakes. This learning gap is not just found in NGO reports—government data over the years has echoed similar concerns.
The Directorate of Primary Education’s Monitoring and Evaluation Division publishes a National Student Assessment (NSA) report every two years. According to the latest report from 2022, only 39 percent of third graders demonstrated grade-level proficiency in math. The figure was even lower—30 percent—for fifth graders.
Education experts say a major reason behind this poor performance is the lack of subject-specific training and the overall inefficiency of teachers in delivering lessons.
Professor Dr. Md Abdus Salam of the Institute of Education and Research at the University of Dhaka told Bonik Barta, “Teachers play the key role in helping students gain proficiency in any subject. But the condition of our education system, especially primary education, is such that we can’t ensure skilled teachers. Teachers in our country are given very limited benefits, which discourages talented individuals from joining the profession. Those who do join often stay because they have no other option. While various types of training are being provided, most teachers do not absorb or apply the training sincerely in the classroom due to a lack of genuine interest in teaching. As a result, students continue to fall behind in learning.”
He further said, “To ensure skilled teachers, we must improve their benefits so that talented individuals are encouraged to enter the profession. At the same time, we should prioritize pre-service training over in-service training. In other words, only those genuinely interested in teaching should receive training and enter the profession.”
This issue of teacher shortage and inefficiency was also highlighted in a research report by the National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE). According to the 2022 report titled “Measuring Teacher Effectiveness for Primary Teachers in Bangladesh,” observations of classroom activities showed that only 19.14 percent of teachers demonstrated satisfactory classroom performance on average. Another 44.3 percent showed moderately satisfactory performance, while 36.3 percent of teachers performed poorly.
The survey gathered data from 24 schools across 12 districts. It assessed several aspects, including subject knowledge, professional competence, teaching style, technological skills, communication ability, and methods of evaluation and feedback. Among the teachers, only 26.8 percent of those with a postgraduate degree, 17.1 percent with a bachelor’s degree, and 18.2 percent with just SSC or HSC qualifications showed satisfactory classroom performance.
Earlier in 2019, NAPE had published two research reports on the state of English and mathematics education in primary schools. Those reports also highlighted students’ weaknesses in these two subjects. One of the main reasons identified for this was the lack of teacher competence.
In the 2019 report titled “Effectiveness of Lesson Study: A Case of Enhancing Quality of Mathematics Teaching Learning in the Primary Education of Bangladesh,” all participating math teachers admitted that they found it difficult to teach the subject. Every Assistant Upazila Education Officer and URC Instructor who participated in the survey agreed that teachers face difficulties when it comes to teaching mathematics.
That same year, NAPE published another report titled “Weakness of Grade Three Students in English: Causes and Remedies.” One of the key reasons cited for students’ poor performance was the limited skills of teachers. Most teachers who participated in the survey said they struggled with English pronunciation and had limited vocabulary.
Training plays a key role in developing skilled teachers. At present, government primary school teachers receive training under 67 Primary Teachers Training Institute (PTIs). According to the Annual Primary School Census (APSC) 2023, nearly one-fourth of all teachers are still outside the training system.
Currently, there are 384,513 teachers in government primary schools across the country. Of them, a total of 297,077 have received training. However, officials at the training institutes say that despite receiving training, many teachers are not applying what they have learned in the classroom.
Md Rezaul Haque, Superintendent of the Rajshahi PTI, told Bonik Barta, “We are teaching the teachers, and they’re getting good marks here, but later their classroom performance doesn’t meet expectations. We’re seeing a lack of sincerity among them. One possible reason is that for most of those entering teaching now, it’s not their first choice. Many focus more on trying to switch to other jobs after joining.”
Several other PTI superintendents across the country echoed his concerns.
These training institutes also face a shortage of instructors. Out of a total of 1,041 sanctioned instructor positions, 360 remain vacant. Additionally, in 2023, 67 subject-specific instructor positions each were created for Bangla, Math, and English. None of these positions have been filled yet.
Md Kamrujjaman, Superintendent of the Dhaka PTI, said, “We are providing quality training to teachers. If we had subject-specific instructors, the quality might have improved even further. The main challenge now is ensuring teachers apply what they learn in the classroom. In most cases, they don’t teach according to their training. To address this, monitoring can be increased. At the same time, teachers who perform well in class should be rewarded, and those with poor performance must be held accountable. If negligence is proven, disciplinary action should be taken.”
Primary education is the foundation of the entire education system, and ensuring quality at this level is essential, says Rasheda K Choudhury, a former Adviser (de facto cabinet Minister) to the caretaker government. Speaking to Bonik Barta, she said, “For a long time in our country, students have been moving to higher grades with learning gaps from the primary level. The major reasons behind this include a shortage of teachers, absence of pre-service training, and lack of adequate facilities for teachers. Due to the shortage, teachers often fail to give students the attention and care they need. On top of that, they are frequently assigned to tasks outside the classroom, like surveys or election duties, which increases pressure and affects classroom activities.”
Regarding the importance of pre-service training, Rasheda K Choudhury, who is currently the Executive Director of the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), added, “We’ve been advocating for training for a long time. That means a teacher should receive training before they start teaching in a classroom. It helps them properly grasp the training content and mentally prepare for teaching. But here, training is usually given after they begin teaching. These short-term trainings are often ineffective.”
She further said, “To ensure quality teaching in primary education, we must provide adequate facilities for teachers so that talented individuals are encouraged to stay in the profession and teach with sincerity. At the same time, it’s essential to ensure pre-service training and avoid assigning teachers to non-teaching duties outside the classroom.”