Govt primary schools: Students stumble on conjunct letters, weak in maths and English

A significant number of young students in government primary schools are unable to correctly pronounce several basic letters of the Bengali alphabet of both vowels and consonants. They frequently stumble over conjunct letters. Many children are also weak in English, and their deficiencies in mathematics are equally conspicuous.

This depiction emerged from a recent report by the Compulsory Primary Education Implementation and Monitoring Unit (CPEIMU), under the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. In June, the unit inspected 341 schools in Dhaka Metropolitan area, approximately 600 in Dhaka district, 547 in Narayanganj, and 611 in Munshiganj.

The inspection encompassed a total of nearly 2,100 schools across these four regions. It revealed that the quality of education in 254 schools was rated as Category 'A' (excellent), accounting for roughly 12 per cent. The remainder fell into Categories 'B' and 'C', denoting average or substandard performance respectively. Category 'B' comprises 1,095 schools (52 per cent), while Category 'C' includes 749 schools (36 per cent).

A few schools in other districts were also inspected outside this scope. A school is designated as Category 'A' if 80 per cent or more of its students achieve the desired learning competencies. The rating is set at Category 'B' if the success rate ranges from 61 to 79 per cent, and Category 'C' if it falls to 60 per cent or below.

Concerns regarding the standard of education in government primary schools have persisted for a long time. This latest inspection report by a state institution merely corroborates that reality.

The government continues to allocate substantial funds to guarantee compulsory primary education; indeed, Tk 467.37 billion (46,737 crore) has been earmarked for the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education for the 2026–27 financial year. However, primary schools suffer from an acute shortage of teachers, alongside a severe dearth of qualified educators. Various other socio-economic factors also contribute to this crisis.

Education experts have long warned that if reading, writing, and numeracy skills remain weak at the primary level, the adverse impact becomes even more pronounced in higher grades, ultimately affecting future professional capabilities in the workplace.

According to ministry sources, following the assumption of office by the new government led by the Bangladesh (BNP), various initiatives are being considered to elevate the quality of education. This new inspection report was commissioned specifically to assess the current ground reality.

When approached for comment, Md. Abdul Halim Bhuiyan, Director (Additional Charge) of the Compulsory Primary Education Implementation Monitoring Unit, told Prothom Alo that the school inspections were conducted in line with directives from the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education to improve educational standards. The ministry will now take the necessary steps based on these findings.

The Constitution of Bangladesh mandates free and compulsory education. The 'Primary Education (Compulsory) Act' was passed in 1990 and subsequently implemented across the country in phases. However, effective measures to enhance the quality of this mandatory education remain scarce. Numerous families are forced to send their children to private institutions at exorbitant costs as government primary schools fail to deliver a high standard of education.

At present, there are over 118,000 primary schools in the country, encompassing both public and private sectors, catering to nearly 20.1 million students. Of these, 65,567 are government primary schools, educating more than 10.6 million pupils.

During the inspection, the Compulsory Primary Education Implementation Unit assessed grade-specific learning outcomes and subject competencies in first-grade Bengali, second-grade Bengali and Mathematics, third-grade Bengali, fourth-grade Mathematics, and fifth-grade English.

Of the 341 schools inspected in the Dhaka Metropolitan area, 48 were rated 'A' for learning quality, 177 were rated 'B', and 116 fell into Category 'C'. In these schools, the competency attainment rate in Bengali stands at 71 per cent. While 62 per cent attained competence in English and 63 per cent in Mathematics, the remainder failed to do so. Across all three subjects, the average rate of subject-specific competency attainment was 66 per cent.

Outside the metropolitan area, across 609 schools under Savar, Keraniganj, Dohar, Dhamrai, and Nabaganj in Dhaka district, the competency attainment rate was 67 per cent in Bengali, 60 per cent in English, and 62 per cent in Mathematics, leaving the rest of the students lagging behind.

The condition of schools in Narayanganj is even more alarming than those in Dhaka. Among the students of 547 schools, the desired competencies were achieved by only 62 per cent in Bengali, 57 per cent in English, and 59 per cent in Mathematics.

In Munshiganj's 611 schools, 69 per cent of students achieved the desired competency in Bengali, 66 per cent in English, and 63 per cent in Mathematics, while the rest failed to meet the benchmark.

Disparities in subject competency across different areas are quite stark. For instance, data from inspections at eight schools in the Ramna area of Dhaka city indicate strong competency levels. Conversely, primary schools in the Dohar area of Dhaka district remain significantly behind.

According to the inspection report, many students are unable to read words containing complex conjunct letters, such as 'Brahmaputra' or 'Trishna'. They also face difficulties reading Bengali words composed of four to five letters. In the fifth grade, the ability to read polysyllabic words is even weaker, and the number of fluent readers remains low.

Most first-grade students struggle with vowel allographs (kar-chinha). Alarmingly, many fifth-grade students cannot even read basic instructions or familiar words in their English textbooks.

Deficiencies in mathematics are equally stark. The majority of students from the second to fourth grades possess a weak grasp of place value.

Many are unable to perform basic multiplication and division. Furthermore, a flawed methodology for subtraction is being taught in many schools.

Fourth-grade students face difficulties across all four fundamental arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Even when multiplication tables are memorised, students cannot apply them practically.

The inspection report notes that male students are lagging behind their female counterparts, and their school attendance rates are lower. Student attendance is particularly low in Dhaka city schools, where some classrooms register the presence of only one or two students during inspections.

The report also highlights that in certain schools offering education up to the eighth grade, teachers are actively engaged in private coaching businesses. There is also a high propensity among teachers to take casual leave. Furthermore, classrooms in many schools lack adequate lighting. Notably, over 700 government primary schools currently offer education up to the eighth grade.

Hazaribagh Girls' Government Primary School in Dhaka city was among the institutions inspected by the unit.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, the school's head teacher, Sheikh Mohammad Sayid Ullah, conceded that a segment of the student body faces learning difficulties. His internal school surveys revealed that four to five students in every classroom are exceptionally weak.

The head teacher explained that most of these lagging students suffer from various domestic and social adversities. Many do not live with their parents, or are orphaned, growing up under the care of grandmothers or other relatives. Several families endure acute financial hardship, while some children suffer from chronic illnesses.

He maintained that these factors cause 10 to 20 per cent of students to fall behind academically, suggesting that the scope of social and economic safety net programmes needs to be expanded.

Sheikh Mohammad Sayid Ullah added that schools must take a more proactive stance to bridge these learning gaps. To achieve this, he emphasised the critical need for recruiting qualified educators and providing them with specialised training.

The teacher shortage in government primary schools is worsening by the day. Currently, 36,235 schools operate without a designated head teacher, representing 55 per cent of the total institutions.

However, following a recent Supreme Court ruling, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has initiated steps to fill these vacancies. Once these posts are filled through promotions, the number of vacant assistant teacher posts will exceed 38,000. This calculation takes into account the recruitment process for over 14,000 assistant teacher vacancies that is currently being finalised.

To resolve these deficiencies, the inspection report recommends the use of supplementary reading materials for Bengali and English, organising monthly 'Alphabet Festivals' (Borna Utsob), utilising alphabet cards, breaking down conjunct letters during instruction, assigning storybooks as Bengali homework, and scheduling Mathematics and English classes at the start of the school day.

The report further advises teaching place value using the 'Abacus Model', employing real-world examples for basic arithmetic operations, conducting regular practice of multiplication tables, incorporating group activities, and providing Mathematics Olympiad-based training to two or three teachers from each school.

Additionally, recommendations include fostering greater dedication among teachers, improving classroom preparation, balancing teacher deficits across institutions, ensuring proper evaluation of homework, appointing computer operators, merging schools with low student enrollment, and securing the active participation of teachers, parents, and stakeholders to boost student attendance.

The ruling BNP's election manifesto outlines that while importance will be accorded to all tiers of education, primary education will receive the highest priority. Emphasis will shift from rote learning to value-based foundational education. Alongside enhancing primary school teachers' remuneration and social status, specialised training initiatives will be introduced for them.

When approached for an expert opinion, Muhammad Mahbub Morshed, Associate Professor at the Institute of Education and Research, Dhaka University, told Prothom Alo that multiple factors contribute to primary students failing to achieve learning outcomes.

According to him, many teachers conduct classes without essential training, and there is a pronounced lack of subject-specific expertise, preventing effective classroom learning.

Because grade-appropriate learning deficits are not remedied early, they accumulate progressively across higher classes, he pointed out.

Consequently, students who lack access to private coaching or additional academic support fall even further behind, he added.