After Online Attendance, Primary School Teachers to Face an 11-Tier Monitoring System

PNN News Desk. Dhaka

Following the initiative to ensure that primary school teachers mark their attendance online, the government is preparing to introduce stricter measures to monitor schools. The plan includes introducing an 11-tier school inspection system and improving digital information management. However, the main purpose of this monitoring is not simply to verify teachers’ attendance, but also to ensure that lessons are regularly delivered in classrooms and that students achieve genuine learning outcomes.

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj announced these plans at a national dialogue and experience-sharing workshop held at the Sheraton Hotel in the capital on Monday, October 20. The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, the Directorate of Primary Education and UNICEF jointly organised the workshop under the title “From the Field to Reform: Advancing Primary Education in Bangladesh.” In his remarks as chair of the event, the state minister outlined various government plans to improve the quality of primary education.

Bobby Hajjaj said that bringing about the desired changes in primary education required a coordinated approach that gave equal importance to five areas: curriculum, teachers, supervision, infrastructure and technology. These areas are interconnected, he said. Improving one area while neglecting the others would not be enough to raise the overall quality of education. Reforms must therefore be advanced on the basis of conditions on the ground and the experiences and opinions of those directly involved.

Speaking about the school inspection system, the state minister said that monitoring needed to become more effective because of staff shortages at the field level and the additional administrative responsibilities carried by officials. Taking these challenges into account, the government has initiated plans for an 11-tier inspection system and improvements to digital information management. Under the new system, special emphasis will be placed on teachers’ attendance, regular classroom instruction and the extent to which students are actually learning in the classroom.

Outlining the government’s future plans for primary education, he said that, in accordance with the instructions of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the government was focusing on ensuring access to education for every child, improving educational standards, developing moral values and equipping students with skills suitable for their future working lives.

The state minister also said that field-level experience and the views of relevant stakeholders were being treated as the foundation of the reform plans. According to him, more than 60 hours of discussions had been held over the past several months with officials directly involved in primary education, supervisory officials and headteachers. The experiences and opinions of more than 3,000 stakeholders had been reviewed during these discussions. This included direct conversations with more than 1,700 supervisory officials and the collection of feedback from more than 1,500 headteachers.

He said that analysing these experiences had provided a practical understanding of the existing problems, priorities and possible solutions for primary education.

As part of a major transformation in primary education, work is underway to introduce a new curriculum in 2028. Bobby Hajjaj said the new curriculum would focus on creating a child-friendly education system based on learning outcomes. Alongside improving students’ proficiency in Bangla, mathematics and English, the government will encourage play-based learning, digital content and practical learning activities.

The state minister also emphasised the need to reduce disparities in the amount of time allocated for classroom teaching at different schools and to establish necessary standards for all primary educational institutions, both public and private.

Work is also underway to formulate new policies to ensure teachers’ professional development and improve their skills, he said. The proposed policies are intended to bring teacher recruitment, pre-service training, placement, professional skills development and evaluation under a coordinated framework. The government is placing emphasis on ensuring appropriate training, strengthening subject-specific expertise and creating regular opportunities for teachers to develop professionally.

He also highlighted the need to evaluate teachers and schools separately and to make upazila-level teacher training centres more effective.

Regarding school infrastructure, Bobby Hajjaj said that constructing buildings alone would not be sufficient to ensure a quality learning environment. Classrooms, furniture, toilets and safe drinking water facilities must be suitable for children. Infrastructure development must also take geographical realities into account, including river erosion-prone areas and hilly regions.

On the increased use of technology, he stressed the importance of integrating digital learning materials, information management and technology-based monitoring systems. Through these initiatives, the government aims to simplify teachers’ administrative work while improving the quality of students’ learning.

The state minister said the recommendations emerging from the national dialogue would be presented to the relevant ministries, directorates and development partners. In his view, a coordinated approach across all areas—from curriculum and teachers to supervision, infrastructure and technology—is necessary to ensure that every child achieves genuine learning outcomes, acquires essential skills and develops moral values.