Education in Bangladesh

 

Education System in Bangladesh

The education system and structure of Bangladesh has three major stages-primary, secondary and higher educations. Primary education is a 5-year cycle while secondary education is a 7- year one with three sub-stages: 3 years of junior secondary, 2 years of secondary and 2 years of higher secondary. The private schools also receive strong financial support from the state. The tertiary education (3-5 years) is provided through universities (31 public and 51 private universities) and affiliated colleges under supervision of University Grants Commission. Establishment of private universities has gained momentum in recent years. At all levels, students can choose the medium of education from Bangla or English.

The Ministry of Education is the supreme state office for education which again is subdivided in different directorates for each level while running numerous development projects (Education Projects and Technical projects). According to the article 17 of the Constitution, all the children of Bangladesh are supposed to receive full free education up to secondary level. Secondary and higher secondary schools are affiliated under ten (10) education boards. The boards administer two public examinations - one is the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Examination and the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) Examination. The higher secondary schools are known as colleges. There are also Madrasah (religiously inclined) and English medium schools which are enrolled under Madrasah Education Board and Foreign Education Board respectively. Besides this, a Technical Education Board has been established to administer the vocational training schools at post secondary level in Education Board. The National Curriculam and Textbook Board is the authority to develop, approve and manage the curriculum and text books for primary, junior, secondary and higher secondary level. Government has also established Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) which keeps educational information at all levels. Bangladesh Government has published an Education Policy which is developed based on the inputs taken from different education commissions over the years. There are also many non-profit organizations which operate informal and semi-formal education for underprivileged children under supervision of Bureau of Non-formal Education.

Education arena in Bangladesh is not so developed. Literacy rate is low and there is a significant disparity between female and male literacy rates. However, with on going awareness of both the government and NGO's, literacy rate has been going up. Bangladesh gets International Literacy Prize 1998 from UNESCO for its ongoing literacy rate. It is targeted that, the country will be illiteracy-free by the year 2005. The education system is divided into 4 levels-- Primary (from grades 1 to 5), Secondary (from grades 6 to 10), Higher Secondary (from  grades 11 to 12) and tertiary. Alongside national educating system, English medium education is also provided by some private  enterprises. They offer 'A' level and 'O' level courses. There is also Madrasa system which emphasizes on Arabic medium Islam-based education. This system is supervised by the lone Madrasa Board of the country.   In 1998 there were about 52,000 primary schools 11000 secondary institutions. The five years of lower secondary education concludes with a Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination. Students who pass this examination proceed to two years of Higher Secondary or intermediate training, which culminate in a Higher Secondary School (HSC) examination. Five education boards lead by the Ministry of Education deal with education up to HSC level. Under-graduate level is finished with HSC. Then begins graduation level which is dealt by Universities. Universities also offer Master's and Doctorate degrees. There are 11 government universities and approximately 20 private universities in Bangladesh. Specialized universities are Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Bangladesh Agricultural University and Bangabandhu Shaikh Mujib Medical University.

The three main educational systems in Bangladesh, ordered by decreasing student numbers, are:

• General Education System
• Madrasah Education System
• Technical - Vocational Education System

Other systems include a Professional Education System.
Each of these three main systems is divided into five levels:

• Primary Level (years 1 to 5)
• Junior Level (years 6 to 8)
• Secondary Level (years 9 to 10)
• Higher Secondary Level (years 11 and 12)
• Tertiary Level

Bangladesh education system in brief

Tertiary education in Bangladesh takes place at 34 government and 54 private universities. Students can choose to further their studies in engineering, technology, agriculture and medicine at a variety of universities and colleges. At all levels of schooling, students can choose to receive their education in English or Bangla. Private schools tend to make use of English-based study media while government-sponsored schools use Bangla.

Cadets in class room

Cadet colleges are important in the education system of Bangladesh. A cadet college is a room and board collegiate administered by the Bangladesh. Military discipline is compulsory at all cadet colleges. Faujdarhat cadet college was the first cadet college in Bangladesh, established in 1958 over an area of 185 acres (0.75 km²) of land at Faujdarhat in the district of Chittagong. At present there are 12 cadet colleges in Bangladesh. The Madrasah Education System focuses on religious education, teaching all the basics of education in a religious environment. Religious studies are taught in Arabic and the students in some areas also serve the local area masjids. Students also study are required by law to complete all of the courses from the General Education System. Many privately licensed Madrasas take in homeless children and provide them with food, shelter and education, e.g. Jamia Tawakkulia Renga Madrasah in Sylhet. The Technical and Vocational Education System provides courses related to various applied and practical areas of science, technology and engineering, or focuses on a specific specialized area. Course duration ranges from one month to four years.

Tertiary education in Madrasah Education System

In Madrasah Education System, after passing 'Alim' (12th Grade), student can enroll in for 3years long study, for obtaining a 'Fazil' level (14th Grade)as well as they can go for further general education like earning all over the universities degree, And after passing successfully they can further enroll into another 2 years long study system to obtain a 'Kamil' level (16th Grade) degree.

Tertiary education in Technical Education System

In the Technical Education System, after obtaining Diploma-in-Engineering degree (four years long curriculum), students can further pursue their educational carrier for obtaining a Bachelor degree from Engineering & Technology Universities, and normally it takes two and half or three years long courses for students with a Diploma-in-Engineering degree, to obtain a Bachelor degree, but often in some cases these students take more than three years to complete their bachelor degree(undergraduate degree) (16th Grade) in Engineering. Then they can enroll into post-graduate studies.

 

Educational management

The overall responsibility of management of primary education lies with the Primary and Mass Education Division (PMED), set up as a separate division with the status of a Ministry in 1992. While the PMED is involved in formulation of policies, the responsibility of implementation rests with the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) headed by a Director General. The Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) and its subordinate offices in the district and upazila are solely responsible for management and supervision of primary education. Their responsibilities include recruitment, posting, and transfer of teachers and other staff; arranging in-service training of teachers; distribution of free textbooks; and supervision of schools. The responsibility of school construction, repair and supply of school furniture lies with the Facilities Department (FD) and Local Government Engineering Department (LGED). The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) are responsible for the development of curriculum and production of textbooks. While the Ministry of Education (MOE) is responsible for formulation of policies, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) under the Ministry of Education is responsible for implementing the same at secondary and higher education levels. The NCTB is responsible for developing curriculum and publishing standard textbooks.

Primary and secondary level management

The primary and secondary levels of education are controlled by the seven General Education Boards, each covering a region. The boards' headquarters are located in Barisal, Comilla Chittagong, Dhaka, Dinajpur Jessore, Rajshahi and Sylhet . In addition, the Madrasah Education Board covers religious education in government-registered Madrasahs, and the Technical Education Board controls technical and vocational training in the secondary level. Eight region-based Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) are responsible for conducting the three public examinations, Junior School Certificate (JSC), Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC), in addition to granting recognition to non-government secondary schools. At the school level, in the case of non-government secondary schools, School Management Committees (SMC), and at the intermediate college level, in the case of non-government colleges, Governing Bodies (GB), formed as per government directives, are responsible for mobilizing resources, approving budgets, controlling expenditures, and appointing and disciplining staff. While teachers of non-government secondary schools are recruited by concerned SMCs observing relevant government rules, teachers of government secondary schools are recruited centrally by the DSHE through a competitive examination. In government secondary schools, there is not an SMC. The headmaster is solely responsible for running the school and is supervised by the deputy director of the respective zone. Parent Teachers Associations (PTAs), however, exist to ensure a better teaching and learning environment.

English medium education in Bangladesh

 A vast number of schools in Bangladesh are English Medium schools. English Medium schools are mainly private schools where all the courses are taught in English except one Bengali Language subject at ordinary level (O Level). These schools in Bangladesh follow the General Certificate of Education (GCE) syllabus where students are prepared for taking their Ordinary Level (O Level) and Advanced Level (A Level) examinations. The General Certificate of Education system is one of the most internationally recognized qualifications, based from the United Kingdom. The Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations are English equivalent to the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) examinations respectively. Most students sit for these exams from the registered schools in Bangladesh who follow the GCE syllabus. Those who do not attend a school that follows the GCE syllabus may also sit for their Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations from British Council. These examinations are conducted under the supervision of British Council in Bangladesh.The GCE examination conducted by the British Council takes place twice a year. Currently there are two boards operating from Bangladesh for Ordinary and Advanced Level Examinations, which are Edexcel and University of Cambridge International Examinations.

Non-formal primary education

There exists a substantial number of NGO-run non-formal schools, catering mainly to the drop-outs of the government and non-government primary schools. Very few NGOs, however, impart education for the full five-year primary education cycle. Because of this, on completion of their two-to three-year non-formal primary education in NGO-run schools, students normally re-enter into government/non-government primary schools at higher classes. There are Non-Governmental Schools (NGO) and Non-Formal Education Centers (NFE) and many of these are funded by the government. The largest NFE program is the much reputed BRAC program. However, all NFE graduates do not continue on to secondary school.

NGO-run schools differ from other non-government private schools. While the private schools operate like private enterprises often guided by commercial interests, NGO schools operate mainly in areas not served either by the government or private schools, essentially to meet the educational needs of vulnerable groups in the society. They usually follow an informal approach to suit the special needs of children from these vulnerable groups. But nowadays, some NGO schools are operating into places where there are both private and government schools. Similarly, in NGO-run schools there does not exist any SMC. The style of management differs depending upon differences in policies pursued by different NGOs. Some are centrally managed within a highly bureaucratic set-up, while others enjoy considerable autonomy.

Different NGOs pursue different policies regarding recruitment of teachers. Some prepare a panel of prospective teachers on the basis of a rigorous test and recruit teachers from this panel. Other NGOs recruit teachers rather informally from locally available interested persons.

Universities in Bangladesh

Universities in Bangladesh represent about 75 academic bodies out of a total of about 105 institutions represent the conventional higher education institution (HEI) in Bangladesh. Segmented by management and financial structure, these include 34 public universities, 56 private universities, 2 international universities, 31 specialized colleges, and 2 special universities. There are specialized universities in both categories offering courses principally in technological studies, medical studies, business studies and Islamic studies. There are two private universities dedicated solely to female students. The number of universities is growing mostly in and around the capital city of Dhaka.

There are about 1500 colleges organized under the umbrella of National University - one of the largest in the world.

Public universities

Bangladesh has some thirty-two public universities providing education to the bulk of higher studies students. These universities are funded by the government while managed as self-governed organizations. In Dhaka division there are twelve public universities. Amongst them seven are in Dhaka City, two universities in Gazipur, one in Savar. In Mymensingh District there are two universities located in Mymensingh Town and Trishal. In Tangail District there is also a university locating on Sontoss. In Rajshahi division there are three universities, two in Rajshahi  and one in Pabna. There are two public universities in Rangpur division. One is in Rangpur and another one in Dinajpur. In Khulna division there are four public universities; two are in Khulna, one in Jessore and another in Kushtia. The university in Kushtia is the only public university in Bangladesh specializing in Islamic studies. Five public universities are in Chittagong division including three are in Chittagong and one each in Comilla and Noakhali. One of them specializes in Veterinary Sciences. There are two public universities in Barisal division which are located in Patuakhali and Barisal. Two public universities are in Sylhet division. Both are in Sylhet, one specialized in science & technology and the other in agricultural sciences.

 BUET

 Shahjalal University of Science and Technology

Jahangirnagar University

Rajshahi University

RUET

 Bangladesh Agricultural University

KUET

 Islamic University

Khulna University

National University

The National University was established in 1992 under an act of Parliament of the Government of the people's republic of Bangladesh with features distinct from those of the traditional Universities of the country. The National University caters the general education at graduate and post-graduate level in colleges/institutions which were affiliated to different public universities since independence. About one million students are studying in more than 1600 colleges/institutions affiliated to this university. The National University is expanding in terms of number of students, courses and institutions day by day. To day this university plays the most significant role to provide opportunities for higher education among the students living especially in rural and semi-urban areas. The university has taken a lot of important steps to improve the standard of education by formulating a modern uniform curriculum, providing training of the teachers and supplying teaching materials to the affiliated institutions. 

 

List of Public Universities of Bangladesh:

Name of University	Nick	Founded	Location
University of Dhaka	DU	1921	Dhaka
University of Chittagong	CU	1966	Chittagong
Sylhet Agricultural University	SAU	2006	Sylhet
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University	SAU	2001	Dhaka
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology	SUST	1987	Sylhet
Rajshahi University	RU	1953	Rajshahi
Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology	RUET	1964	Rajshahi
Patuakhali Science and Technology University	PSTU	2002	Patuakhali
Pabna University of Science and Technology	PUST	2008	Pabna
Noakhali Science and Technology University	NSTU	2006	Noakhali
Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University	MBSTU	1999	Tangail
Khulna University	KU	1991	Khulna
Khulna University of Engineering & Technology	KUET	1969	Khulna
Jessore Science & Technology University	JSTU	2008	Jessore
Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University	KNU	2005	Trishal
Jahangirnagar University	JU	1970	Savar
Jagannath University	JNU	2005	Dhaka
Islamic University	IU	1980	Kushtia
Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science & Technology University	HSTU	1999	Dinajpur
Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology	DUET	1980	Gazipur
Comilla University	UC	2006	Comilla
Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University	CVASU	2006	Chittagong
Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology	CUET	1968	Chittagong
Begum Rokeya University	BRU	2008	Rangpur
Barisal University	BU	2011	Barisal
Bangladesh University of Textiles	BUTex	1978	Dhaka
Bangladesh University of Professionals	BUP	2008	Dhaka
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology	BUET	1962	Dhaka
Bangladesh Agricultural University	BAU	1961	Mymensingh
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University	BSMRSTU	2011	Gopalganj
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University	BSMRAU	1998	Gazipur
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University	BSMMU	1998	Dhaka

Education Budget

Development Budget Budget is given in Crore (1 Crore = 10 Million) Year National Allocation Total Allocation in MoE (% of National Allocation) 2001-2002 16000.00 916.52 (5.73%) 2002-2003 17100.00 1065.35 (6.23%) 2003-2004 19000.00 1211.19 (6.37%) 2004-2005 22000.00 1182.42 (5.37%) 2005-2006 24500.00 1065.38 (4.33%) 2006-2007 21600.00 1002.25 (4.64%) 2007-2008 22500.00 1000.17 (4.45%) 2008-2009 23000.00 1000.54 (4.35%) 2009-2010 28500.00 1430.80 (5.02%) 2010-2011 38500.00 1624.69 (4.22%)

Revenue Budget Budget is given in Crore (1 Crore = 10 Million) Year National Allocation Total Allocation in MoE (% of National Allocation) 2001-2002 22692.00 2311.00 (10.18%) 2002-2003 25307.00 2494.00 (9.85%) 2003-2004 28969.00 2607.00 (9.00%) 2004-2005 50903.11 3267.93 (6.42%) 2005-2006 56154.67 4859.00 (8.65%) 2006-2007 45410.00   4718.97 (10.39%) 2007-2008 53846.00 5179.01 (9.62%) 2008-2009 67603.00 5753.68 (8.51%) 2009-2010 78136.00 7540.87 (9.65%) 2010-2011 87285.00 8199.67 (9.39%)

Development and Revenue Budget Allocation

Budget is given in Crore (1 Crore = 10 Million) Year National Allocation Total Allocation in MoE (% of National Allocation) 2001-2002 38692.00 3227.52 (8.34%) 2002-2003 42407.00 3559.35 (8.39%) 2003-2004 49269.00 3818.19 (7.75%) 2004-2005 75903.11 4459.35 (5.88%) 2005-2006 80654.67 6423.91 (7.96%) 2006-2007 71410.00 5709.25 (8.00%) 2007-2008 80346.00 6396.20 (7.96%) 2008-2009 94140.00* 6739.22 (7.16%) 2009-2010 110523.00* 8971.67 (8.12%) 2010-2011 132170.00* 9824.36 (7.43%) *National Allocation including Memorandum Item

Last 11 years Allocation and Expenditure in Education Sector

Budget is given in Crore (1 Crore = 10 Million)

Year	RADP Allocation		Expenditure (% of Allocation)
	National	Ministry of Education	National	Ministry of Education
2000-2001	18200.00	870.23	89%	95%
2001-2002	16000.00	916.52	88%	91%
2002-2003	17100.00	1065.23	91%	93%
2003-2004	19000.00	1211.19	88%	89%
2004-2005	20500.00	1182.42	92%	92%
2005-2006	21500.00	1060.38	91%	89%
2006-2007	21600.00	1002.25	81%	94%
2007-2008	22500.00	1000.17	82%	94%
2008-2009	23000.00	1000.54	86%	95%
2009-2010	28500.00	1430.80	91%	95%
2010-2011	38500.00	1624.69	-	-

Sub-Sector wise Last 3 years Development Budget Allocation

Budget is given in Crore (1 Crore = 10 Million) Sl. No. Education Development Programme 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 1 Secondary, Higher Secondary and College Education  478.50 (47.82%) 792.08 (55.36%)  930.04 (57.24%) 2 EED 262.53 (26.24%)  271.01 (18.94%)  117.00 (7.20%) 3 Technical and Vocational Education  83.01 (8.30%) 97.16 (6.79%)  233.64 (14.38%)  4 UGC 168.11 (16.80%)   261.08 (18.25%)  340.30 (20.95%) 5 MoE  8.39 (0.84%) 9.47 (0.66%)   3.71 (0.23%)  Total  1000.54  1430.80  1624.69

 

Allocation in types of projects for the Fiscal year 2008-2009, 2009-2010 & 2010-2011

Budget is given in Crore (1 Crore = 10 Million)

Type of Project	2008-2009	2009-2010	2010-2011
Investment Project	969.32	1388.09	1557.01
Technical Assistant Project	31.22	42.71	67.68
Total	1000.54	1430.80	1624.69