Sharp Decline in Student Enrollment Plagues Mymensingh Primary Schools
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Mymensingh district is witnessing a sharp and concerning decline in primary school enrollment, with government data revealing that student numbers across its 2,140 primary schools have dropped from 538,568 in 2025 to 425,822 in 2026. This loss of 112,746 students in a single year highlights a growing crisis within the public primary education sector.
The trend is starkly visible at the Pithasuta Government Primary School in Tarakanda upazila. The school, which had 150 students in 2022, currently records only 104 on paper, with many children absent for months. Teachers report that students like fourth-grader Abu Raihan have left for manual labor—in Raihan’s case, an apprenticeship at a tailor shop in Dhaka—while others, such as fifth-grader Sumaiya Akter, have been moved to local Qawmi madrasas due to parental concerns over safety and social issues.
Educational administrators and teachers point to a combination of factors driving this decline. Many parents are opting to shift their children to private kindergartens or madrasas, a trend that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic when many government schools remained closed for extended periods. Economic hardship also forces families to relocate to cities for work or engage children in labor, while others cite a lack of awareness regarding the importance of formal primary education.
The crisis is exacerbated by chronic teacher shortages and infrastructure challenges. Across Mymensingh, 1,242 schools—nearly 58 percent—operate without a permanent headmaster, and there are 853 vacancies for assistant teachers. In schools like Poyestirchar Tarapur Government Primary School, only two teachers remain to manage six grades, a situation mirrored by reports of schools closing early or struggling to maintain academic schedules due to staff being called away for administrative meetings.
Physical conditions further discourage attendance. At the Jhaparkanda Government Primary School, where classes are held in a makeshift tin-shed building, enrollment has plummeted from 240 in 2017 to 107 today. Teachers note that the extreme heat in tin structures makes learning environments unbearable, prompting students to abandon classes for activities like fishing or farm work.
Mymensingh District Primary Education Officer Md. Shafiqul Islam acknowledged the situation as a matter of significant concern but noted that parental preference for alternative schooling—such as private or religious institutions—is a primary driver of the shift. As dropout rates in the division exceed 30 percent in some districts, educators warn that failing to stabilize primary enrollment will have severe long-term consequences for the region’s secondary education system and overall literacy.
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