Training for 5 lakh teachers, 15,000 classrooms: Tk 6,000 crore education project proposed

Photo: Collected

The government wants to train nearly 5 lakh teachers to raise the quality of education at every level, from primary to secondary, madrasa and technical. There are also plans to set up ICT and technology labs and supply modern teaching materials. On top of that, more than 15,000 classrooms will be built or renovated.

The work will be carried out under the proposed ‘NextGen Secondary Education Programme’. Its preliminary estimated cost is Tk 6,058 crore 49 lakh. The proposal earmarks a little over Tk 3,397 crore for the secondary level, Tk 2,373 crore for the madrasa and technical levels and Tk 288 crore for the primary level.

The information is contained in separate preliminary draft project proposals from the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE), the Directorate of Technical Education and the Directorate of Primary Education. The respective directorates will implement the projects, though the proposals have yet to be finalised.

According to officials concerned, the projects, if approved, will bring major progress in the quality of education from primary to secondary, as a huge number of teachers will receive technology-based training. A notable feature of the project is that instead of putting up new buildings, existing classrooms will be extended vertically and renovated to turn them into ‘active’ classrooms.

Speaking to Ajker Patrika on the matter last Wednesday, Prof Dr Khan Moinuddin Al Mahmud Sohel, director general of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, said the present government is taking various steps to improve the quality of education. The initiative for teacher training, classroom renovation and building active learning classrooms is part of that.

He added, ‘This project gives priority to science- and technology-based education. Our aim is to ensure work-oriented education in the country, so that no one remains unemployed after completing their education.’

The government’s Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (Banbeis) Annual Report 2025 says the country’s 24,147 secondary educational institutions have 4,39,068 teachers. There are 1,38,675 teachers in 9,296 madrasas and 32,864 in 2,748 technical institutions. The three levels together have 6,10,607 teachers; under the plan, about 82 per cent of them will receive training.

The DSHE project proposal says steps will be taken to improve the quality of secondary education and build a modern, inclusive and disaster-resilient teaching and learning environment. It will also include various activities to boost teachers’ professional development and education management capacity.

Dr Sardar Md Keramat Ali, additional secretary (planning) of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, said, ‘The project proposals are currently at various stages of approval. It can be said that the implementation of the projects is not yet final.’

According to the DSHE draft, professional development training at home and abroad will be arranged for 3,69,643 teachers and education administrators at the secondary level.

The cost for this has been set at Tk 353 crore 60 lakh 28 thousand 400. There is a proposal to train at least 1 lakh teachers at the madrasa and technical levels, which will cost more than Tk 100 crore. Beyond this, the proposals provide for training another 30,000 teachers and education administrators at various levels in phases.

There are plans to build and convert a total of 2,085 classrooms at madrasas and technical institutions: 1,485 at 495 selected madrasas and 600 at 200 SSC (Vocational) schools. In addition, 695 smart classrooms and 695 ICT labs will be set up. Each institution will have a science lab and a teachers’ common room with digital facilities. And 576 pieces of digital learning content will be developed for 14 technical education trades.

At the secondary level, the proposal also calls for the vertical extension of 3,000 classrooms and the conversion of 5,250 classrooms into climate-resilient multimedia rooms suited to active learning. There are also plans to set up ICT labs, technology labs and laboratories, 1,050 of each, at 1,050 selected secondary schools, and to supply furniture.

For the primary level, the proposal includes an initiative to introduce an integrated primary education management system. It notes that this will bring digital learning materials, competency-based student assessment, teachers’ professional development and artificial intelligence (AI) and geographic information system (GIS)-based monitoring under one roof.

Educationists see these plans for teacher training and infrastructure development as positive. However, they have urged that care be taken so that the training is not just for show and that all work is done within a clear policy framework.

Manzoor Ahmed, professor emeritus at BRAC University, told Ajker Patrika, ‘The initiative to train teachers is positive. But care must be taken so that the training is not merely a token exercise. Other development work must also be planned. That is, all activities must be carried out within a clear policy framework.’

Background

The World Bank-supported ‘Learning Acceleration in Secondary Education’ (LAISE) project has already set a target of training 3,60,566 teachers; the NextGen project will start at field level from January 2027, according to a BSS report published on the government’s Shikkhok Batayon portal.

Sources

Original report: Ajker Patrika

Background sources: Shikkhok Batayon (BSS), October 2026