Government of Bangladesh has taken many initiatives to make the education system modern and reachable to all. The education system in Bangladesh is characterized by the co-existence of three separate streams. The mainstream happens to be a vernacular based secular education carried over from the colonial past. There also exists a separate system of religious education. Finally, based on use of English as the medium of instruction, another stream of education, modeled after the British education system, has rapidly grown in the metropolitan cities of Bangladesh.

However diverse the above streams may apparently look, they have certain common elements, and there exists scope for re-integration of graduates of one stream with the other at different levels.

The mainstream education system in Bangladesh is structured as follows: -

Stage-1

Pre-Primary:

Pre-primary or kindergartens is the optional part for the students. This stage is recognized by the governments and the world educational organization. Children, aged 3-5 is ready to join in pre-primary education. This prepared that students to go in school mentally.

Stage-2

Primary:

According to the Act-1990, Primary Education has been made compulsory for children aged 6-10 years. The compulsory primary education means - "Unless there is a valid ground, the guardian of each child living in an area where primary education has been made compulsory, shall, for the purpose of giving primary education, have his/her child admitted to the nearest primary education institution located in that area"

Primary education for the 6-10 age group is imparted mainly in government and non-government primary schools. In metropolitan cities, however, government and non-government primary schools cater to the educational needs mainly of the poorer sections of the people, as the better-off families usually send their children to Private English Medium schools/ secondary schools that run primary sections as well. There, however, exist some NGO-run non-formal schools catering mainly for the dropouts of the government and non-government primary schools.

Stage-3

Secondary:

Students (11+) who completed primary education, enroll for junior secondary education that spans over 3 years. After passing 3 years, some students switch over to join the vocational education, offered at Vocational Training Institutes (VTI) and Technical Training Centres (TTC) run by the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Labor and Employment respectively, while students in the mainstream continue in government and non-government secondary schools for a 2 year secondary education in their respective areas of specialization i.e. humanities, science, commerce, etc. At the end of 10th class, the students sit for their first public examination called Secondary School Certificate (S.S.C.) examination under the direct supervision of seven education boards of education ministry.

The students of religious education/Madrasa and English medium streams also sit for their respective public examinations, Dakhil and O’ level, conducted by the Madrasha Education Board and London/Cambridge University respectively.

Stage-4

Higher Secondary:

After finishing primary and secondary stage, students (16+) who succeed in passing the Secondary School Certificate (S.S.C.)/Dakhil/O’ Level examination have the option to join higher secondary education in a college for a 2 years in their respective specialized areas, or enroll in technical/ poly technical institutes for technical education. After 2-year higher secondary education, one has to sit for another public examination called Higher Secondary Certificate (H.S.C.) examination conducted by the education boards.

As like primary stage, Students of Madrasa/Religious and English Medium streams also sit for their respective public examinations, Alim and A' level, conducted by the Madrasha Education Board and London/Cambridg University respectively.

Stage-5

Higher Education:

Public and private universities / degree colleges/technical colleges/ specialized institutions are offering Under-graduate education of various duration to the students who have completed Higher secondary education from any recognized Institute. Successful completion of a degree course is a pre-requisite for appointment to a white-collar civilian job. Post-graduate education normally of 1-2 year duration is provided at the universities or colleges.

Higher education institutions in Bangladesh include: degree-level liberal arts colleges affiliated to a recently established affiliating university (The Bangladesh National University), publicly supported universities including a University of Engineering and Technology and Agricultural Universities, private Universities established under the Non-government Universities Act (Act 34 of 1992), autonomous institutes of technology, previously called engineering colleges, agricultural colleges, medical colleges, dental colleges, teachers' training colleges, colleges of physical education, college of textile technology college of leather technology, marine academy.

Open University established in 1992. While each of the other universities conducts its own examinations and National University is conducting bachelor's and master's examinations of the affiliated degree colleges.

Evaluation

In primary and secondary level students sit for exam three times in a year for 70% marks from the total and rest 30% will be given on School Based Assessment (SBA). In the first public examination students get his result in GPA.

In higher education most of the institutes follow the traditional system where under the students sit for the final examination at the end of the whole course of studies and evaluation is done according to marking system. But some departments of the public universities and most of the private universities follow the semester system (with grading method of evaluation) in line with the developed countries of the world. There is a probability that the semester system will be introduced in the whole of education in the near future and our students can stand in the same line of the developed countries.