Schools up, pupils down

Bangladesh has more secondary schools than it did seven years ago, but far fewer students in them.

Even government secondary schools, where the cost is negligible, are losing pupils. However, enrolment at registered Alia madrasas has increased, according to the latest report of the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (Banbeis).

The report shows that the number of students in classes VI-X at government and non-government secondary schools fell by around 17.83 lakh, from 88.57 lakh in 2018 to 70.74 lakh in 2025, or 20.1 percent. The number of general secondary schools stood at 16,737 in 2025, up from 16,186 in 2018.

Talking to The Daily Star, Prof Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel, director general of Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), said the steady decline in secondary-school enrolment required careful examination.

“We will investigate possible contributing factors, including the impact of Covid-19, subsequent financial difficulties faced by families, rising child labour, and shifts towards other educational institutions.”

Educationists point to several other possible reasons, including early marriage and concerns about girls’ safety.

Some families may also be choosing madrasas or English-medium schools over general secondary schools, they said.

Prof Siddiqur Rahman, former director of Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research, said, “The dropping number of schoolchildren is a sign of a lack of planning. We don’t know how many schools we actually need, how many students there will be, what types of schools and colleges we need, or what kind of higher education is required.”

Non-government institutions account for around 97 percent of Bangladesh’s secondary schools. 

Government schools, however, remain highly popular, particularly at district and upazila levels. Yet, these institutions are losing students, challenging the notion that free education alone is enough to keep children in school. 

The decline is in both boys and girls, but the fall has been considerably steeper among boys.

The number of boys enrolled in government secondary schools dropped from 3.21 lakh in 2018 to 2.33 lakh in 2025, a reduction of 87,824, or 27.4 percent.

Over the same period, the number of girls fell from 2.64 lakh to 2.25 lakh, a decline of 39,018, or 14.8 percent.

Educationists say that although government schools charge nominal fees, families still have to pay for coaching, guidebooks, transportation, school supplies, and other educational expenses.

Talking to this newspaper, Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director of the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE), said  public and social investments in education were not producing the expected results.

“This means that simply making education free does not necessarily ensure that everyone will attend school. Many have come to believe that government schools don’t provide quality education.”

MADRASA EDUCATION 

While enrolment in general secondary schools has fallen, the number of students in classes VI-X  at registered Alia madrasas has increased. 

However, Banbeis has no official mechanism to track whether students leaving general schools move to Alia madrasas, Qawmi madrasas, English-medium schools or technical institutions, or enter the workforce.

Its data shows that the number of students in classes VI-X at Alia madrasas rose from 3.62 lakh in 2018 to 3.98 lakh in 2025, a rise of 36,660, or 10.1 percent.

Enrolment in classes VI-X at English-medium schools increased modestly, from 22,554 students in 2018 to 24,530 in 2025, a rise of 8.8 percent, according to Banbeis.

However, education officials say these figures do not present the complete picture, as many English-medium schools remain outside the reporting system.

Banbeis also does not maintain official statistics on Qawmi madrasas because the education stream operates outside government regulation, said an official of the organisation.

Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon told parliament on July 14 that there are around 25,000 Qawmi madrasas in the country, with approximately 70 lakh students.

Prof Emeritus Manzoor Ahmed of BRAC University told The Daily Star, “... Students rely on costly private coaching and commercial guidebooks. Those who cannot afford these costs send their children to less expensive madrasas.”

Prof Siddiqur also identified the growth of madrasas and the increasing attraction of English-medium education as possible reasons for the decline in general school enrolment.

He said some middle-class parents considered non-government schools better than government institutions, while English-medium schools were often perceived as better.

“Since people have a tendency to send children to madrasas at the lower levels, including primary or Ibtedayi education, and they have a soft corner for religion, the number of madrasa students is gradually increasing.

“Some students may be moving to Qawmi madrasas. Many people believe that Qawmi madrasas place greater emphasis on religious education than Alia madrasas.”

Child education activist Rasheda K Choudhury said the enrolment in Alia madrasas, the mainstream madrasa stream, remains stable. “Although madrasas face various kinds of criticism, people still have confidence in Alia madrasas.”

For DSHE DG Al Mahmud Sohel, however, the increase in madrasa enrolment is not itself a concern. The priority, he said, is to understand why general secondary schools are losing students.

“We will examine why this is happening and explore ways to improve enrolment and retain students.”

He said the government would also work to promote vocational and employment-oriented education, which could help raise enrolment at the secondary level.

REASONS

Not every child leaving a general secondary school necessarily moves to another institution. For some, the decline in enrolment may mean dropping out.

Educationists say financial hardship, rising living costs, and the need to earn an income can force children out of classrooms and into work.

Prof Siddiqur said, “When parents fall below the poverty line, child labour tends to increase. Nowadays, a family often cannot survive on one person’s income.”

Available data suggests that child labour has gone up substantially.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and Unicef’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) show that the proportion of children aged five to 17 engaged in labour rose from 6.8 percent in 2019 to 9.2 percent in 2025, an increase of 2.4 percentage points.

Educationists say girls may face additional barriers to continuing their studies, including early marriage, domestic responsibilities, and concerns about travelling long distances to school.

Rasheda K Choudhury cited child labour and early marriage as longstanding challenges at the secondary level.

 Prof Manzoor said for some families, moving children to less expensive institutions may be an option. For others, the cost of education may simply become unaffordable.

The financial burden on households is substantial. Families bear 71 percent of total education expenditure in Bangladesh, according to Unesco’s Global Education Monitoring Report 2022.

CAMPE’s Education Watch studies found that out-of-pocket education expenses increased by 25 percent at the primary level and 51 percent at the secondary level in 2023 compared with 2022.