Despite Rising Pass Rates and GPA-5s, Skills and Creativity Declining Among Students

While pass rates and the number of GPA-5 scorers have increased at the primary and secondary levels in Bangladesh, students’ skills and creativity are declining at an alarming rate. A recent study by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) shows that learning outcomes have deteriorated compared to 2013 levels by 2022.

Speaking at a dialogue in the capital on Monday (16 March), CPD Additional Research Director Toufique Islam Khan said: “Bangladesh’s education crisis is not just about resources or funding, but about vision and proper planning. To meet future demands, education must be shaped not merely as a means of obtaining certificates, but as a vehicle for critical thinking and skill development.”

Key findings from the study include:

• One of the main reasons for declining education quality is insufficient investment. Although UNESCO recommends allocating 4-6% of GDP to education, Bangladesh currently allocates only 1.7%, with actual spending at just 1.3%.
• Lack of good governance in improving education quality is also a contributing factor.
• Poor classroom teaching has made students increasingly dependent on guidebooks and private tuition, which is reducing their creativity.

To address this, the government is planning to launch a pilot project within the next six months to regulate coaching centres.

CPD Fellow Mostafizur Rahman warned: “If we fail to build a skilled workforce, Bangladesh will fall behind in global competition in the future.”

Experts stressed that education must be kept outside political agendas and treated as the foundation of the country’s future economic capacity. There was also a call to establish education as an enforceable fundamental right in the Constitution.