The declining enrolment in government primary schools in Dhaka is a truly unfortunate situation that must be rectified.
These institutions remain an important avenue for affordable education, particularly for lower-income families, yet many are struggling with empty classrooms, poor infrastructure, inadequate facilities, and concerns over the quality and regularity of teaching.
A particularly troubling, recurring scenario has been observed at several of these schools recently, including one with only a handful out of over 50 recorded students present in one classroom.
Similar discrepancies were found elsewhere, alongside waterlogging, unclean surroundings, ageing buildings, and limited space for children -- all dire conditions that inevitably push parents towards private institutions.
This observation comes at a time when the government has rightly stressed that no child should be deprived of education because of financial hardship.
Continued welfare programs, educational materials, and other assistance for disadvantaged children are certainly a positive step in the right direction. The emphasis on quality education and necessary facilities is also welcome.
But ensuring access to education means little if the public institutions providing that access are allowed to deteriorate.
Financial assistance can help families send children to school, but the schools themselves must offer a safe, clean, and effective learning environment.
The problem is clearly too widespread to be countered through isolated interventions. Rigorous measures are pivotal, beginning with accurate enrolment and attendance data, regular physical inspections, infrastructure repairs, and stronger accountability for teachers and administrators.
The government must also listen closely to parents and students and understand why they are choosing to skip school.
Modernizing school buildings, as the authorities have pledged, is welcome, but it must be accompanied by improvements in teaching, monitoring, safety, and student engagement.
Government primary schools should be places parents and pupils actively choose, not institutions they turn away from. Restoring public confidence will require sustained commitment and, above all, action that results in a greater, more sustained turnout in the classroom.
