This policy-oriented volume addresses the persistent challenges of Bangladesh’s education system and provides a practical roadmap for reform. Amid demographic pressures, urban inequality, skills disruption, and political distrust, it argues that education reform is a state-building imperative.
The book explores how school quality, teacher incentives, assessment integrity, and skills pathways impact institutional capacity, social cohesion, productivity, and democratic culture, making a compelling case for systemic change. Blending political economy insights with on-the-ground realities, it examines the education pipeline—from early learning to higher education and the school-to-work transition. It uncovers hidden engines of failure, such as misaligned incentives, exam leakage, coaching-market distortions, and governance capture, while proposing actionable reforms. These include governance redesign, modernized assessments, teacher career ladders, curriculum reforms, and a national skills architecture aligned with industry demand.
Grounded in Bangladesh’s lived reality yet informed by global evidence, the book is both locally relevant and globally insightful. Designed for a diverse readership, it serves academics, policymakers, donors, civil society leaders, practitioners, journalists, and engaged citizens. Academics and postgraduate students will find it valuable for research and courses, while policymakers and civil society leaders will appreciate its actionable frameworks and whole-system diagnosis.