A recent survey conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS) has unveiled a stark reality: more than 1 million secondary school students have dropped out in Bangladesh over the span of four years since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Presented during a workshop, the survey paints a concerning picture of the educational landscape in the country. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, Bangladesh boasted 9,230,427 secondary school students. Fast forward to 2023, and this figure plummeted to 8,166,188, indicating a significant decline.
Of particular concern is the fact that 55% of these dropouts are female students, impacting 18,968 schools nationwide.
Sheikh Md Alamgir, Chief of BANBEIS’s Survey Branch, highlighted the pandemic’s profound impact on these alarming statistics. He emphasized that the age group most affected, typically between 11 and 15 years old, has also witnessed a decline according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
Soleman Khan, Secretary of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education of the Ministry of Education, acknowledged the need for a deeper understanding of these trends. While attributing some of the decline to pandemic-induced closures, he reassured efforts are underway to reintegrate students into classrooms.
Interestingly, amidst this decline in secondary education enrollment, there’s been a surge in college, madrasa, technical, and English medium school enrollments. Additionally, the dropout rate has shown a downward trend, decreasing from 55.26% in 2010 to 32.85% in 2023, offering a glimmer of hope.
The survey, conducted from September 3 to 23, 2023, encompassed all post-primary educational institutions across the country, providing crucial insights into the evolving educational landscape post-pandemic.
