1m less secondary-level students in 4yrs

The number of secondary-level students in Bangladesh has dropped by more than one million between 2019 and 2023, shows the recent annual survey conducted by Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS).

However, the survey has found that the number of students at technical, madrasa and English medium schools have increased during the same timeframe.

There were 9.2 million secondary students at 18,765 educational institutions across the country in 2019, while the number of secondary students stood at 8.16 million at 18,968 educational institutions in 2023.

Around 2.5 million students were studying at 9,278 madrasas in 2019, and the figure stood at 2.7 million at 9,259 institutions all over the country in 2023. The number of English medium schools was 145 in 2019, and the number of students stood at 26,000.

The figure was 28,000 at 123 schools in 2023.

The BANBEIS organised an unveiling event of the survey in its conference room in the capital on Thursday. Sheikh Mohammad Alamgir, chief statistical officer of the BANBEIS, highlighted key points of the survey to audiences.

He pointed out, “We collected information from educational institutions through the internet, and different organisations such as the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). We just do surveys, not research.

“But primarily, we presume that most of the students dropped out during the Covid-19 period.”

Replying to a question, Secretary Suleman Khan of Secondary and Higher Education Division of the education ministry, said, “We will analyse the data and find out the problems through research.

Education experts said they have been asking the government to take initiative to check the number of student dropouts, but the education ministry is yet to take any initiative in this regard.

There was a lack of necessary facilities to access education, poor social and financial conditions, early marriage of girls and other obstacles might contribute to the dropouts, they added.

Speaking to The Business Post, Professor Emeritus of Brac University Dr Manzoor Ahmed said, “A good number of people still live below the poverty line. They have no work. They send their children to work, which in turn causes these children to drop out.

“We were concerned about such a possibility a few years ago. Our concerns have now become a reality.”