The newly elected government has pledged to prioritise education, an assurance heard many times before, yet rarely realised. Whether this time will be different remains an open question.
After assuming office, education minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon and state minister for primary and mass education Bobby Hajjaj announced a 12-point preliminary action plan. It incorporates several pledges from the ruling party’s election manifesto, including increasing the education budget, expanding the use of technology (such as the “one teacher, one tab” initiative), introducing compulsory third-language learning, reviewing curricula and examination systems, emphasising sports and physical education, and ensuring minimum learning standards across all schools.
They have also spoken about eliminating corruption in the education system, bringing students back to classroom-based learning, and prioritising technical and employment-oriented education.
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Recently, two consultation meetings on education were organised by Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) and the research organisation Institute of Informatics and Development (IID). The state minister attended one of them.
Competent individuals must be entrusted with responsibilities based on careful analysis and evaluation. At the same time, doubts remain about whether the existing bureaucratic structure has the capacity or willingness to drive such transformation.
Participants welcomed the 12-point plan but also raised additional expectations. These included directing increased funding towards marginalised communities, making education free up to class-VIII, expanding mid-day meal programmes, and enacting a comprehensive education law. There was also a proposal to introduce an “education cess”, similar to neighbouring countries, to ensure sustainable financing. The organisations expressed willingness to support implementing the efforts.
At IID’s roundtable, researchers, academics, and civil society representatives highlighted a persistent gap: despite numerous initiatives, the ultimate outcome, students’ learning in classrooms, remains inadequate. As a result, dependence on coaching centres and guidebooks has grown, effectively commercialising education. Consequently, many children still fail to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills. The neglect of extremely poor, indigenous, and special-needs children was also emphasised, with speakers calling for greater equity in education.
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The minister and the state minister spoke about their programmes. CAMPE, IID and other stakeholders also highlighted their expectations and demands. While discussions have largely focused on general school education, other subsectors—higher education, technical and vocational training, madrasah education, non-formal and lifelong learning—also face deep-rooted challenges. This raises a fundamental question: where and how should reform begin?
In the past, numerous targets and promises were made, yet desired outcomes were not achieved. Identifying the barriers to implementation is essential. Fragmented and piecemeal reforms are unlikely to deliver meaningful change in a complex sector like education. What is needed is a clear strategy, defined methods, accountability mechanisms, and robust monitoring of progress. Competent individuals must be entrusted with responsibilities based on careful analysis and evaluation. At the same time, doubts remain about whether the existing bureaucratic structure has the capacity or willingness to drive such transformation.
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A recent decision has sparked significant debate: the proposed abolition of the lottery system in school admissions. For years, admission to reputed urban schools has caused immense stress for children and parents alike. Costly coaching, admission irregularities, and intense competition made the process burdensome. To address inequality and anxiety, a lottery-based system was introduced for Grade 1 in 2011 and later extended to other grades in 2021 under certain conditions.
The Ministry of Education has now announced that the lottery system will be scrapped from 2027, with admissions based on merit through examinations.
But this raises a critical question: does the state not have a responsibility towards children who may be less academically competitive at an early age? It is difficult to see how abolishing the lottery system alone will improve the quality of school education. The core issue remains the shortage of quality schools across regions—a problem that has long gone unresolved.
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During the interim government period, advisory committees were formed to recommend reforms in primary and secondary education. Their reports identified key challenges and proposed short-, medium-, and long-term solutions. While not exhaustive, these analyses offer a valuable starting point.
Importantly, the reports also highlighted why past reforms failed. It said that meaningful change is difficult when left to existing administrative structures alone. That is why, the committees suggested strong political commitment, to prioritise reform, must be accompanied by a high-powered reform task force.
Separate task forces could be established for major subsectors, including a dedicated one for school education. Additionally, an overarching council could guide a five-year medium-term plan and a 10-year strategic vision for the entire education sector.
Such an initiative may well be the first essential step towards meaningful and lasting reform.
* Monzur Ahmed, Emeritus Professor, BRAC University
* The views expressed are those of the author