Bangladesh teacher shortage leaves thousands of school posts vacant

The Bangladesh teacher shortage is straining government schools from Dhaka to the districts, the Dhaka Tribune reported on Saturday.

Nationwide, 27,734 of 65,553 primary headteacher posts are vacant, according to the Directorate of Primary Education. That is more than two in five posts.

Crowded classrooms show the Bangladesh teacher shortage

At Siddique Miah Obaitonik RPS in Dhaka, 308 students share five teachers. Government records say the school needs at least eight. Jobeda Khatun RPS has 254 pupils and six teachers. In Mohammadpur thana, 23 primary schools hold 7,447 students and 260 teachers, according to the IPEMIS database. That works out at about 29 pupils per teacher.

At Abul Bashar Government Primary School, the reporter found empty classrooms around 11am. Children sat in the corridor. Some said their teacher was absent.

Secondary schools face gaps in key subjects

Government secondary schools show similar gaps. Of 15,293 sanctioned assistant teacher posts at 702 schools, 2,842 are vacant. That is about 18.6 percent. Another 383 headteacher posts and 249 assistant headteacher posts are unfilled.

Science subjects are hit hard. Biology has 252 vacancies against 854 sanctioned posts. Physical science has 210 against 881. Only 6,317 of 13,164 government secondary teachers have professional training, according to BANBEIS.

What officials and experts say

State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj says recruitment, promotions and a new teacher policy will ease the gap. The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education blames recruitment delays under the BPSC non-cadre system. Emeritus Professor Manzoor Ahmed says filling posts alone is not enough. He wants a subject-by-subject plan.

Dhaka University’s Professor Mohammad Mujibur Rahman says teacher shortages get less attention than equipment. The government separately plans a Tk 21,900 crore digital upgrade for schools, the Daily Star reported on Friday.

For another story from government this week, see our report on a state minister who resigned over a pistol video.

Fact basis: Dhaka Tribune (24 October 2026) and The Daily Star (23 October 2026). School-level figures come from the Tribune’s interviews and cited government records. Secondary figures are the latest reported and carry no exact date.