The government should consider the demand of the aspiring teachers for non-government educational institutes very carefully because it involves the quality of our teaching standards. In two separate protests in the capital on June 15, people interested in becoming a teacher for non-governmental secondary and higher secondary schools but who failed to meet either the age limit or pass the exam required to be registered under the Non-Government Teacher鈥檚 Registration and Certification Authority gathered, demanding their appointment. The government formed the NTRCA in 2005 to provide certificates following tests to aspiring teachers of the non-government educational institutions. About 20,000 unsuccessful candidates under the latest non-government teacher鈥檚 registration examinations urged the authorities to pass them all and give them certificates. While the failed candidates contested the exam review process, the chairperson of the NTRCA said that, according to the teacher registration exam rules, there is no scope for reviewing the results. Another group of aspirants, who were registered under the NTRCA but failed to get a recommendation from the authority, marched towards the secretariat before being violently blocked by the police and demanded direct appointment. Clearly, there are unresolved issues that the government should attend to without compromising the teaching standards.
The unsuccessful candidates for the teacher registration exam submitted a memorandum, which the NTRCA forwarded to the education ministry for a final decision. In an economy with declining job growth and rising unemployment, the desperation of unsuccessful aspiring teachers is understandable but not justified, and the government should not capitulate to such demands, particularly in a context when teaching standards in Bangladesh are already a public concern. Earlier, in a similar situation, the government positively responded to demands with far-reaching consequences. In 2024, the Higher Secondary Certificate and equivalent exams were disrupted by the July mass uprising, and later the interim government was compelled to cancel the remaining examinations because a group of HSC candidates demanded so. Education experts termed such demands unacceptable and considered the government decision for an automatic pass for the HSC exam to set a dangerous precedent, encouraging future students to seek similar concessions and eventually lack the competence needed to contribute to the nation. Expert warning rang true when a group of students of the National University began demanding auto passes and even physically assaulted the vice chancellor of the university in May.
The government, under the circumstances, should address the crisis over the recruitment of teachers for non-government secondary and higher secondary schools because the educational future of the country is at stake.
