More than five decades after independence, Bangladesh continues to grapple with a paradox that has become increasingly difficult to ignore. While the country frequently speaks of becoming a knowledge-based and industrial economy, its technical and vocational education system-the very foundation for producing skilled manpower-remains trapped in chronic neglect. Every government has pledged to elevate technical education to a position of national importance, yet the sector continues to suffer from institutional decay, policy inconsistency and a striking absence of long-term vision.
The latest picture emerging from the sector is deeply unsettling. Thousands of technical and vocational institutions are reportedly unable to attract students. Hundreds of thousands of seats remain vacant every year despite the country's growing need for skilled workers. Teacher shortages have reached alarming proportions, infrastructure remains grossly inadequate in many institutions, curricula often fail to keep pace with technological change and links with industries are disappointingly weak.
The decision by the Bangladesh Technical Education Board to consider cancelling the permits of nearly 2,000 institutions that have failed to admit a single student for three to seven years reflects the depth of the crisis. While such regulatory measures may be necessary to weed out inactive institutions, they cannot by themselves revive a sector, the problems of which are structural rather than administrative. Closing institutions that have become dysfunctional addresses only the symptoms; it does little to cure the underlying disease.
Perhaps the most worrying aspect of the crisis is the disconnect between capacity and demand. Bangladesh today boasts nearly 1.9 million seats in technical institutions under the board, yet only a fraction of those seats are filled. In 2024, around 81 per cent of seats reportedly remained vacant. This is not because the country lacks young people seeking education. Every year, well over 1.6 million students complete their Secondary School Certificate examinations. Yet only a small percentage chooses technical education, preferring general education even when employment prospects may be uncertain.
This raises an uncomfortable but unavoidable question: why do students and their families continue to turn away from technical education? Part of the answer lies in a deeply entrenched social mindset. For generations, technical and vocational education has been perceived as a secondary option, often reserved for those unable to pursue conventional academic studies. Parents continue to associate success with university degrees rather than practical skills.
Changing such attitudes requires more than promotional campaigns. It requires demonstrating that technical education offers genuine opportunities for career advancement, respectable incomes and social mobility. That confidence can only emerge when the quality of education itself improves substantially.
Unfortunately, quality remains one of the sector's weakest links. The shortage of qualified teachers is staggering. In government technical schools and colleges, roughly three-fourths of sanctioned teaching posts remain vacant. Such shortages inevitably affect classroom teaching, laboratory work and practical training. Even the best-designed curriculum cannot be effectively delivered without competent instructors.
The condition in many private institutions appears even more troubling. Numerous institutions reportedly operate without adequate buildings, laboratories, workshops or modern equipment. Some employ a single teacher to handle multiple unrelated subjects, making meaningful technical instruction virtually impossible. In some cases, institutions were allegedly established less to educate students than to obtain government financial benefits or create employment for associates.
Equally significant is the absence of meaningful coordination between education planners and industry. Technical education should never exist in isolation from the labour market. Its primary purpose is to equip learners with skills that employers actually need. Yet educators have repeatedly pointed out that curricula often remain outdated, practical training inadequate and industry participation minimal. Consequently, students frequently discover that the knowledge they acquired bears little resemblance to workplace realities.
The rapid transformation of global industries makes this disconnect even more costly. Automation, artificial intelligence, robotics, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and digital services are reshaping labour markets across the world. Countries that continuously modernise their technical education systems are positioning themselves to benefit from these emerging opportunities. Bangladesh cannot hope to compete internationally if its vocational institutions continue teaching obsolete technologies with outdated equipment.
Planning itself appears to have suffered from serious shortcomings. As education experts have observed, little attention has been paid to mapping regional demands before establishing institutions. Different districts possess different economic characteristics and labour market needs. Coastal districts may require expertise in marine industries and fisheries, industrial belts may need advanced manufacturing skills, while agricultural regions may benefit from agro-processing technologies. A uniform approach inevitably leads to institutions offering programmes that neither reflect local realities nor attract students.
Bangladesh's overseas labour market offers another compelling reason for reform. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis migrate abroad for employment. Yet many continue to occupy low-skilled positions with comparatively modest wages. Expanding high-quality technical education could significantly increase the proportion of skilled migrants, enabling them to earn better salaries and improving the country's remittance earnings. In an increasingly competitive global labour market, skills have become the most valuable passport.
The repeated commitments made by successive governments therefore deserve careful reflection. The latest pledge to introduce technical and vocational education as a compulsory subject from secondary school and gradually integrate practical learning into mainstream education is undoubtedly encouraging. Similar promises, however, were made before by previous administrations with little tangible progress. Experience suggests that ambitious declarations alone are insufficient unless backed by sustained political commitment, adequate financing and rigorous implementation.
What Bangladesh needs today is not another reform announcement but a comprehensive national strategy. Such a strategy must address teacher recruitment and professional development, curriculum modernisation, stronger partnerships with industries, quality assurance mechanisms, infrastructure development and continuous assessment of labour market needs. It must also establish strict accountability so that institutions failing to maintain minimum standards cannot continue operating indefinitely.
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