Education is supposed to promote the well-being of society. Ideally, it should unify citizens while fostering peace and solidarity, as well as sustainable socio-economic development. However, the situation is often the reverse. Education tends to reproduce social relations as well as the class structure in which it exists.
This is particularly evident in Bangladesh, as citizens have witnessed both pre- and post-independence systems that failed to deliver on basic promises, resulting in social unrest and intermittent political turmoil.
The root causes of the malaise lie in differences in access to higher education, which in turn are determined by social relations that have existed in the country since colonial times. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how social structure shaped the state of higher education in Bangladesh.
Higher education in Bangladesh has been shaped by colonial policies that prioritized creating a middle class to advance the interests of the metropolis.
The English language was imposed as the medium of instruction in higher education. This was done to create a class of administrators and managers who would serve the colonial government and facilitate the extraction of wealth from the colony.
When Bangladesh gained independence, the newly elected authorities failed to reform the existing education system. Even the return of full autonomy in 1971 did not prompt policymakers to review the status quo. As a result, the majority of the population still finds it hard to access higher education.
The roots of the problem run deep, as several regimes have changed since the partition in 1947. Each successive government was unable to design a truly scientific and equitable system of higher education that would serve the needs of all citizens.
Part of the problem was the lack of consensus on the kind of society Bangladesh was meant to become after the end of British rule. Another issue was the failure to accept equal rights for all people as the foundation of higher education. The existing colonial policy dictated that English-medium higher education was the only viable option.
Subsequent governments were quick to adopt the framework, which ignored centuries of local traditions that flourished in the country prior to the British arrival. In spite of numerous opportunities, Bangladesh has not been able to develop a comprehensive system that would balance the needs of the economy and provide accessible higher education to all citizens.
At present, social structure continues to determine access to higher education. More specifically, the educational prospects of a child depend on the socio-economic status of his or her parents.
Those who have the necessary resources can afford to send their children to private tutoring centers, private schools, and even study abroad. The less prosperous families, including those who consider themselves middle class, have to make do with what the state provides.
This creates a sense of injustice, particularly when children from privileged households start attending better-funded universities while their peers from poor families have to enter lower-tier institutions.
The shortcomings of the system prompted the emergence of a private university sector that was able to meet the needs of those who wanted to receive high-quality education.
Traditional single-track higher education was unable to satisfy the demand from students from various backgrounds for differentiated learning. Thus, private institutions were created to fill this void.
They helped address some of the shortages, but they also exacerbated class divisions. The more successful families still have significantly better opportunities to send their children to private education establishments.
In addition, the language barrier remains an issue. Not everybody can afford to pay for English classes, and the linguistic division often translates into intellectual and social barriers as well.
This has led to the current state of affairs in which the majority of students who enter private universities come from privileged families. A survey conducted among students at one of the private English-medium universities accredited by the University Grants Commission showed that 70.67 percent of respondents came from families of high economic status.
When the same university conducted a survey among parents who sent their children for education, the results demonstrated that the majority were unable to afford the tuition fees. This creates a formal division between students who can pay and those who cannot. Needless to say, the Constitution does not recognize such a division, which makes the situation completely unacceptable.
Higher education is supposed to ensure equal opportunities for all citizens regardless of their socio-economic background. In practice, however, things are different. For the majority of Bangladesh’s population, education remains a privilege of the few.
Equal opportunities for obtaining higher education are only formal, as the social structure prevents people from various backgrounds from mixing at the university level. Those who already hold a higher social status are able to secure better educational opportunities.
In other words, they buy their way into the system. The most talented minds from less privileged backgrounds are unable to compete because they cannot afford exorbitant fees. This results in a lower quality of education and wasted potential.
This, in turn, has negative consequences for society at large. First, the overall level of intellectual performance decreases because fewer people have access to higher education. Second, there is increased frustration among those who are unable to enter universities despite their qualifications. Third, social stratification increases as privileged groups maintain their superior status due to better education. Finally, the very purpose of higher education is defeated as the system fails to unite society and make it more cohesive and integrated.
Similar phenomena have occurred throughout history as different governments used the education system to favor certain groups of the population. If Bangladesh wants to avoid the detrimental consequences of such an approach, it should ensure that the rights of all citizens to receive high-quality education are respected.
The current system in which people from various backgrounds are unable to study together at the higher education level needs to change. Equal opportunities are essential if the country wants to develop a competent intellectual core. The next government needs to take concrete steps to ensure that education becomes a true leveler of social inequality.
The state needs to invest more resources into developing a high-quality public education system that would serve the needs of the majority. At the same time, private universities should be encouraged to create more accessible and affordable programs.
The language barrier needs to be addressed at the systemic level so that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are not separated from their more privileged peers on the basis of language proficiency. The most important task of the government will be to ensure that every student, regardless of background, has a realistic chance to pursue higher education in Bangladesh.
Equal opportunities are the cornerstone of any modern society. By failing to provide the same educational experiences for all citizens, Bangladesh creates conditions for social conflicts down the road. A country that puts talented minds from all backgrounds into isolated environments will find it difficult to integrate them back into society.
On the contrary, a nation that fosters the spirit of equal opportunities at the grassroots level will benefit from collective experiences and the shared wisdom of its citizens. History has demonstrated that the status quo in which social stratification determines access to higher education is unsustainable in the long run.
It is time for Bangladesh to move toward a more equitable system that will enable it to build a truly competitive and high-quality education system that serves the needs of all citizens, not just the privileged few.
Writer: Registrar, Feni University
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