Thirteen Years On: Bangladesh’s ICT Education Crippled by Missing Teachers
For 13 years, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been a compulsory subject in secondary and higher secondary education across Bangladesh. Despite this long-standing mandate, a critical shortage of specialized teachers is severely hampering the nation’s digital ambitions and leaving students without essential skills.
The crisis is stark: not a single government secondary school in the country has a dedicated teaching post for ICT. In government colleges, many institutions lack their own ICT teachers, relying instead on instructors from other fields like physics or zoology. Programmers, guest lecturers, or part-time staff often fill the gaps. This patchwork approach means practical ICT classes, crucial for skill development, are frequently overlooked.
This deficiency contributes to Bangladesh’s struggle in global digital development indices. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), only 53.4 percent of the population uses the internet. While network coverage has expanded, the meaningful integration of technology into education, public services, and employment remains limited, leaving a significant digital skills gap.
The root of the problem traces back to 2013, when ICT became compulsory without the necessary preparation. Teaching posts were not created, and a coordinated recruitment process was absent. Even when proposals for new posts are submitted, they often face lengthy bureaucratic delays within the Ministry of Education.
Of the country’s 708 government colleges, 65 older colleges and 102 newly nationalized ones still do not have specific ICT teaching posts. The first cadre of ICT lecturers for colleges only joined in 2021, a full eight years after the subject became mandatory. Even then, the recruitment has not been consistent. For instance, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) has recommended 103 ICT lecturers recently, but they are yet to be appointed.
At the secondary level, the situation is even more alarming. Despite 702 government secondary schools nationwide, there is still no designated ICT teacher post. Teachers of mathematics, business studies, or science, often after brief training, rotate to teach the subject. The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has proposed creating 872 ICT teacher posts for secondary schools, hoping to address this long-standing issue.
The lack of a clear career path also discourages specialists. Existing ICT lecturers face limited opportunities for promotion because higher-level posts have not been established. This occurs despite a strong pool of qualified candidates; for example, a recent special BCS exam saw about 22,500 applicants for just 25 ICT lecturer positions.
Experts like Professor SM Hafizur Rahman from the University of Dhaka emphasize that while ICT textbooks are updated, effective classroom implementation requires specialized teachers. Without addressing this persistent shortage, Bangladesh risks failing its students and hindering its progress in an increasingly digital world.
