FOR over a decade, the government under Sheikh Hasina has presided over the steady erosion of Bangladesh鈥檚 education system. An overreliance on rote learning, at the expense of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, has left students ill-equipped for real-world challenges. The exam-oriented culture, fixated on standardised testing, offers little room for intellectual growth. This is compounded by the persistent lack of adequate teacher training, systemic corruption and widespread politicisation, all of which have contributed to a marked decline in the quality of education across the country.
This institutional decay is further exacerbated by the intersecting crises of learning poverty and climate-induced severe weather events. These dual threats disproportionately impact younger children and those in rural areas, compounding pre-existing educational inequities. The cumulative effect is a deeply compromised education landscape, which not only stalls human development but also impedes the nation鈥檚 broader socioeconomic progress.
Learning poverty 鈥� defined as the inability of children to read and understand a simple text by the age of ten 鈥� has become alarmingly widespread in Bangladesh. A significant portion of primary school-aged children lack basic literacy and numeracy skills, which undermines their academic advancement and limits their future opportunities. The burden of learning poverty falls heaviest on children from low-income households, marginalised communities and remote rural regions. These children are often unable to catch up, leading to long-term consequences such as diminished access to further education, reduced employability and entrenched poverty. The failure to address these disparities risks perpetuating generational cycles of deprivation.
The impact of extreme weather further deepens this crisis. In April and May 2024, prolonged heat waves placed children at severe risk of dehydration and heatstroke, prompting school closures nationwide for up to two weeks. The situation was worsened by the arrival of Cyclone Remal and, subsequently, widespread flooding in June. These events collectively disrupted schooling for millions. Approximately 18.4 million people were affected by the floods, including an estimated 7 million children. Sylhet district faced the worst damage, with over 600,000 students losing access to educational facilities due to infrastructure destruction. According to UNICEF estimates, children in Sylhet lost up to eight weeks of schooling, while those in Khulna, Chattogram, and Rangpur experienced six weeks of closures over the past year alone.
Despite the increasingly apparent vulnerabilities, our education infrastructure remains ill-prepared to cope with such disruptions. Schools lack resilience against environmental shocks and emergency planning is often inadequate. Moving forward, key interventions must include investment in climate-resilient school infrastructure, integration of disaster risk reduction into school management plans and provision of psychosocial and academic support for affected students and teachers. Ensuring inclusive and equitable education must remain central to these efforts, particularly for those already marginalised by geography and poverty.
Disappointingly, the interim government has not prioritised education in its reform agenda, nor has this crisis been meaningfully addressed in broader discussions concerning national development. Without swift and strategic intervention, the compounded effects of learning poverty and climate vulnerability threaten to trigger an irreversible crisis in human development. The absence of urgency in current policymaking signals a failure to recognise the scale and severity of the issue.
The responsibility now lies with the next democratically elected government to act decisively. Educational reform must be placed at the centre of national reconstruction efforts. This includes designing robust, inclusive policies to address learning deficits and safeguard schooling against future climate shocks. The 31-point state repair framework proposed by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party offers one potential starting point, notably for its emphasis on education as a vehicle for sustainable development and social equity. Whether or not one agrees with the BNP鈥檚 broader political programme, its attention to education in this instance provides a valuable policy foothold.
In conclusion, the convergence of learning poverty and severe climate events demands a comprehensive, long-term strategy to prevent lasting damage to Bangladesh鈥檚 future. The national election presents a pivotal opportunity to correct course. With the right political will and targeted investment, Bangladesh can begin to restore the promise of its education system and secure a brighter, more resilient future for its children.
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Dr Ziauddin Hyder is adviser to Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson and former World Bank senior official.
