55pc of BD teachers meet minimum standards: UNESCO

Bangladesh lags behind other South Asian countries in terms of the proportion of teachers meeting minimum professional competency standards, according to the latest World Education Statistics published by UNESCO.

The report shows that, on average, around 55 per cent of secondary-level teachers in Bangladesh meet the prescribed minimum proficiency benchmarks. These benchmarks are based primarily on whether teachers possess the required pedagogical training and academic qualifications for instruction at the relevant level.

A disaggregated analysis indicates that 54.7 per cent of teachers at the lower secondary level and 55.2 per cent at the higher secondary level meet the minimum standards.

In comparative regional terms, the Maldives records the highest proportion of qualified teachers at 98.5 per cent, followed by Bhutan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan-all of which report higher compliance rates than Bangladesh.