Selected reporting and analysis on schools, curricula, teachers, students and education policy in Bangladesh.
80 selected pieces
Students in major urban education centres have considerably outperformed their counterparts in many outlying districts in terms of pass rates and GPA-5 results in this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations.
At an institution in Narail, 35 candidates appeared in last year’s HSC examinations. None passed. This year, 43 candidates sat for the examinations. Again, not a single student passed.
The pass rate in this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination hit a 22-year low of 51.62 percent, down 5.5 percentage points year-on-year.
Pass rates in this year’s Alim and higher secondary technical examinations fell to their lowest in more than two decades, with nearly 87,000 students failing under the two education boards.
Single college secures 2,229 top grades, pass rate of 98.83 percent
More than half of examinees fail, with Humanities accounting for nearly 70% of the increase in failures
The pass rate fell to 51.62 percent, while the number of students securing GPA-5 across all 11 boards dropped to an eight-year low
BRAC University today conferred its first honorary fellowship on Australian philosopher Peter Singer.
Elected with a mandate to protect students’ rights, student union leaders at five major public universities have instead repeatedly been embroiled in controversies over student assaults, teacher intimidation, administrative interference, and divisive initiatives.
The government is planning a digital platform to store assessment records of students from classes 1 to 12, helping teachers track their progress and identify learning gaps.
Bangladesh has more secondary schools than it did seven years ago, but far fewer students in them.
A Tongi father says he has received death threats after reporting his seven-year-old daughter's alleged abuse at a madrasa. The police response could matter far beyond this one case
According to proposals by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), the projects will cover half of the 20,767 secondary and higher secondary educational institutions and be implemented between January 2027 and December 2031.
Last week, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon announced that SSC examinees who failed two subjects could retake those exams within 15 days of the results.
The confrontation raises deeper questions about university appointments, political influence and accountability
Persistent shortages of teachers have been disrupting classroom learning at secondary schools across the country, forcing many institutions to overburden teachers of key subjects including mathematics, English and ICT, and reduce the frequency of practical classes.
School textbooks will be revised for the 2027 academic year, with new content on the Liberation War, post-independence political history and the July Uprising.
Rajshahi University authorities have repeatedly failed to protect students and journalists from violence on campus since August 2024, even with proctorial officials or teachers present.
Seven years after Abrar Fahad’s killing, I revisit what I wrote that day about campus violence, political labels and the silence that allowed it to continue.
Despite higher entry qualifications, their starting basic is now only 20% above the government’s lowest grade, compared with 69% in 1973
Despite their pivotal role in shaping future generations, government primary schoolteachers remain among the lowest-paid staffers, a disparity that many educators say is reflected in the level of respect they receive.
Selected applicants have been waging protests since April for quick completion of the appointment process.
State minister says government should be judged by groundwork for long-term improvements in education
Madrasa education in Bangladesh faces structural problems, with Alia institutions affected by unequal state support, curriculum changes and social prejudice, while Qawmi madrasas remain isolated from wider society and lack accountability, academics and researchers said yesterday.
Curriculum, infrastructure, teacher training and technology to be prioritised, he says
The draft Cyber Security (Amendment) Act, 2026 poses serious risks to fundamental human rights and freedom of speech and expression, Transparency International Bangladesh said yesterday.
The parliamentary standing committee seeks priority for eligible institutions denied MPO status
Football, cricket, debate, science clubs and cultural programmes among activities to continue throughout the year
BRAC University conclave highlights reforms, transparency and responsible technology use in higher education
GPA-5 achievers jump to 119,755 as review revises marks for over 56,000 students
New curriculum to include activities on listening and speaking alongside reading and writing, says state minister
Bangladesh will lodge a strong protest with the Italian foreign ministry over the attack on actor Azmeri Haque Badhon in Venice, State Minister-1 for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir told parliament yesterday.
Stresses need to involve teachers before introducing AI in educational institutions
New programmes target adults, out-of-school children and adolescents with literacy and skills training
State Minister Bobby Hajjaj says transfers will resume after placement of newly recruited teachers
Differences in school attendance, child labour, stipend incentives and study routines are widening the performance gap between male and female students in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations, according to educationists, teachers and candidates.
The vice chancellors of at least three public universities have recently used their institutions’ official platforms to congratulate BNP leaders on appointments to party posts amid ongoing controversies over politically influenced appointments to top university positions.
Since the late 1980s, Bangladesh’s SSC pass rate has seen major fluctuations, reflecting not only student performance but also suggesting the influence of political realities, exam reforms, marking practices, and education policies.
Govt’s five-year plan sets targets for two key sectors
This year’s SSC results painted a grim picture, with the pass rate across the nine general education boards hitting a 19-year low and GPA-5 achievers falling to their lowest level since 2020.
The Madrasah Education Board recorded its lowest pass rate in 23 years at 55.49 percent, while the Technical Education Board posted a 19-year low of 58.20 percent in this year’s SSC and equivalent examinations, according to education ministry data.
Government primary schools across Bangladesh are struggling to keep lessons on track as headteacher posts remain vacant in more than half of the institutions while thousands of assistant-teacher positions also remain unfilled, putting extra pressure on teachers and disrupting classes.
More than five decades ago, Niloufer Manzur, a young teacher and mother of two, set out to establish a school that would provide children with a strong academic foundation while developing their conscience and sense of responsibility towards their country.
The government’s move to reintroduce written admission tests for class-1 from the next academic year has sparked concern among parents, with many turning to coaching centres and private tutors to help their children prepare for the exams.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) is preparing a research repository to track how university research funds were spent and what they produced over the past 15 years.
The primary and mass education ministry has prepared draft guidelines for updating the primary curriculum, suggesting an approach that defines what children should know and the skills and competencies they should attain by the end of class-5.
All government primary schools have been asked to keep three books -- two on late president Ziaur Rahman, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, and one written by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
The government plans to introduce minimum learning standards for students from class one to class five across government primary, private, and English-medium schools, while allowing each stream to retain its distinct identity.
All government primary schools have been asked to keep three books -- two on late president Ziaur Rahman, former prime minister Khaleda Zia, and one written by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
The new budget has proposed a sharp increase in education spending for the next fiscal year, but experts said a larger allocation would mean little unless the money is spent efficiently and translated into better learning outcomes.
The government is set to place education and health at the centre of its spending plan for the next fiscal year, with the combined allocation for the two sectors likely to rise by nearly 63 percent from this fiscal year’s revised budget.
The BNP-led government flagged education as a priority in its first 100 days, unveiling plans for curriculum revision, compulsory sports from Class IV, free uniforms, midday meals and a commitment to raise education spending to 5 percent of GDP.
About a month and a half has passed since the arrest and detention of leftist student leader Sheikh Tasnim Afroz Emi.
Is involvement in politics a crime? Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon posed that question while defending the government’s decision to appoint vice-chancellors to seven universities and a new chairman of the University Grants Commission on Monday.
Former vice-chancellor Prof Mohammad Masud misused funds from a German-backed research project, made irregular appointments and withdrew salary after his removal from office at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet), according to a government-formed investigation report.
A government consultation committee has recommended limiting SSC exams to five core subjects -- Bangla, English, mathematics, science, and social science -- while keeping PSC and JSC exams in classes 5 and 8 scrapped.
Draft report urges universal schooling to Class 12, delayed stream division and academic calendar reform
Several public universities have lately been shaken by incidents in which teachers were harassed, confined to their offices, or even assaulted by student leaders over alleged links to the previous regime, with the authorities failing to prevent the recurrence of such untoward events.
With the national election just 18 days away, political parties are finalising their manifestos. The Daily Star spoke to experts to identify the pressing issues that should top the agenda for parties.
The government has finalised the draft ordinance to establish Dhaka Central University, which will primarily function as an affiliating and regulatory body for seven affiliated colleges.
The University of Asia Pacific (UAP), which announced an indefinite closure on Monday, remained shut yesterday amid ongoing student protests over a controversial Facebook post, the subsequent termination of two faculty members, and demands for the vice-chancellor’s removal.
Primary schoolchildren across the country received full sets of new textbooks yesterday, but about a quarter of secondary-level textbooks did not reach the schools, leaving millions of students without complete sets on the first day of the academic year.
For a country that aspires to middle-income status, the lesson of 2025 is stark
In Chattogram’s Chandgaon, two students sat for this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate exams from Meron Sun College. Both failed.
The Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed Sommilito Shikkharthi Jote has swept the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (Rucsu) election, securing 20 out of 23 central posts in the first such polls held in 35 years.
As the world celebrates International Teachers’ Day to honour educators and their role in society, teachers in Bangladesh are observing it in a different reality.
Teachers, staff still holding up the polls, and Rucsu still in their grip
One year into its tenure, the interim government is struggling to bring stability to the country’s educational institutions, beset by campus unrest and disruptions to academic activities.
Extortion allegations taint SAD, shaking the student-led uprising that inspired a nation
Bangladesh’s student movements have long been rooted in the dormitories of public universities -- Dhaka University, Rajshahi University, Jahangirnagar University, and Chittagong University -- where slogans, marches, and political pressure have often driven change.
The much-anticipated Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election is likely to be held in the second week of September.
The pass rate in this year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations across all nine general education boards has dropped to 68.04 percent, the lowest in 16 years.
30 of 47 newly appointed VC had ties to teachers' groups linked with BNP or Jamaat
Bangladesh’s technical education sector is facing a slow-burning crisis, shaped by a severe shortage of teachers, poor infrastructure, and steadily declining student interest.
A journalism teacher at Begum Rokeya University, Mahmudul Haque now sits in jail
Despite pledging special attention to education and health, the government has proposed only slight increases in allocations for both sectors in the national budget for fiscal year (FY) 2025–26.
The government has decided to form a search committee to recommend vice-chancellors, pro-VCs, and treasurers for public universities. But educationists are criticising the timing and intent of the move as most of these top positions in at least 47 universities have already been filled.
Polytechnic students across the country resumed protests on Saturday, demanding urgent reforms through a six-point charter to fix long-standing problems in recruitment policies, education standards, and job opportunities.
With students now on their Ramadan and Eid holiday, Wahiduddin, on his final day as adviser yesterday, once again promised that the books would be delivered by March 10.
The government’s advisory committee on primary education reform has proposed a new system for teacher recruitment.