Primary education needs reform, not funds only

The latest UNICEF research has once again exposed a painful reality: thousands of children in Bangladesh are progressing through primary education without acquiring even the most basic literacy and numeracy skills.

When 91 per cent of Class VI students in pilot schools fail to answer half of Class V mathematics questions, and 65 per cent fail similar Bangla questions, the issue can no longer be dismissed as a temporary setback. It reflects a systemic crisis.

The findings are alarming, but hardly surprising.

Educationists have repeatedly warned that the country’s primary education sector suffers from chronic weaknesses – inadequate teacher training, shortage of qualified teachers, poor classroom supervision, ineffective assessment systems, and overreliance on rote learning.

The absence of head teachers in nearly half of government primary schools further deepens the crisis by weakening accountability and institutional leadership.

Equally concerning is the mismatch between investment and outcome.

The government has spent tens of thousands of crores under successive Primary Education Development Programmes, yet the expected improvements remain elusive.

The education minister’s own frustration over the poor return on investment should serve as a wake-up call for all concerned.

The deeper problem lies not merely in policy formulation but in implementation.

Bangladesh has introduced curriculum reforms and ambitious education strategies over the years, but classrooms continue to operate under outdated teaching methods.

Children are still encouraged to memorise rather than understand. Activity-based and competency-focused learning, widely recognised internationally, remains absent in many schools.

The reduction of actual classroom hours due to absenteeism, negligence, school closures, floods, and administrative inefficiency is another serious concern.

Compared with neighbouring countries, Bangladeshi children receive significantly fewer instructional hours, inevitably affecting learning outcomes.

The consequences extend far beyond classrooms.

A generation deprived of foundational education will struggle in higher studies, employment, and civic participation.

Learning poverty ultimately becomes economic poverty.

What Bangladesh urgently requires is not another policy announcement, but effective execution.

Teacher recruitment must be accelerated, training modernised, and monitoring strengthened.

Formative assessment should replace exam-centred memorisation, while special support must be provided for disadvantaged children and out-of-school learners.

Education reform succeeds only when schools are equipped, teachers are empowered, and accountability is enforced.

Without addressing these structural failures, investment alone will not rescue the country’s education system from decline.