Government plans major change in secondary school teacher recruitment

The government is planning a major change in secondary school teacher recruitment, with a proposed project seeking to introduce pre-service training for candidates before they enter the teaching profession.

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has prepared an initial draft of a Tk 249.34 crore project titled Professionalization for Enhanced Learning Project. Under the proposal, candidates would receive professional training before being recruited as teachers, whereas training has traditionally been provided after appointment.

According to DSHE, the project is proposed to run from November 2026 to October 2030. The entire funding is expected to come from foreign grants. Major areas of proposed expenditure include workshops and training, infrastructure development and repair, and professional services.

The project proposal states that Bangladesh currently lacks a proper pre-service teacher training system. It argues that people entering a profession such as teaching need to acquire the necessary professional knowledge and skills, as well as mental preparation, before beginning their careers.

To address this gap, the proposal recommends introducing a pre-service teacher education model to create opportunities for qualified candidates to enter the profession. A pilot programme would be conducted, and the training model would be introduced at five institutions.

The project also aims to strengthen institutional capacity for pre-service teacher training and raise awareness about the importance of such preparation.

20,000 teachers and education officials to receive training

The proposal includes plans to develop a Teacher Professionalization Guideline (TPG) and a Teacher Professional Development Framework (TPDF) to improve teachers' professionalism. It also seeks to strengthen continuing professional development for teachers already in service. Ten existing training courses would be updated, while another 10 new courses would be introduced.

Education administrators, teachers and headteachers would receive professional development training during their service. The project has set a target of training 20,000 teachers and education administrators and 1,500 headteachers.

DSHE officials said that if the project receives approval, the new pre-service training model will initially be introduced on a pilot basis. Its effectiveness will then be assessed before the programme is expanded. However, it has not yet been decided whether completing the training will be given priority in teacher recruitment or made mandatory.

Professor Dr Mir Zahida Naznin, director of DSHE's Planning and Development Wing, said the government was taking various steps to improve the quality of education, including plans to introduce training for teachers before recruitment.

Dr Sardar Md Keramat Ali, additional secretary (Planning) at the Secondary and Higher Education Division, said the project proposal was currently going through the approval process and had not yet been finalised.