Bangladesh's interim government is moving to bring English-medium schools under regulatory oversight, a decision that has sparked debate about educational autonomy and religious curriculum in institutions that serve the country's elite.
The education adviser announced that English-medium institutions would gradually be brought under government policy frameworks, with mandatory registration, fire safety and infrastructure standards, according to bdnews24.
But discussions on Bangladeshi social media suggest deeper concerns. Some clips circulating show officials mentioning "culture and religious studies" as part of the regulatory framework - language that has alarmed parents who chose English-medium schools specifically for their secular, internationally-aligned curriculum.
Here's the context that matters: English-medium schools in Bangladesh serve a specific demographic - the urban upper-middle class and elite who can afford annual fees ranging from $2,000 to $10,000. These schools follow British O-Levels and A-Levels or American curricula, preparing students for universities abroad.
A billion people aren't a statistic - they're a billion stories. For Bangladesh's English-medium families, this regulation feels like the post-Sheikh Hasina identity struggle playing out in their children's classrooms.
Since former Prime Minister Hasina fled the country in August 2024 amid mass protests, Bangladesh has been navigating questions of national identity, secularism versus religious conservatism, and what kind of country it wants to be.
The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has walked a careful line between reformist impulses and accommodation of more conservative forces that helped drive the protests. Education has become a flashpoint.
Proponents of regulation argue that English-medium schools have operated with minimal oversight for decades, sometimes lacking basic safety standards. They also argue that students should learn about Bangladeshi culture and values regardless of curriculum.
Critics worry this is a pretext for imposing religious instruction in schools that have remained secular. One Reddit discussion noted: "They don't have anything to sell except Islam" - a blunt assessment of concerns that religious conservatism is filling the ideological vacuum left by Hasina's departure.
The regulatory framework's details remain vague. Will it require Islamic studies for all students, including non-Muslims? Will it mandate Bengali language instruction that could conflict with international curriculum timelines? Will it impose restrictions on educational content?
For Bangladesh's 170 million people, most of whom attend Bengali-medium schools, this might seem like an elite concern. But educational autonomy is a bellwether for broader questions about pluralism and state control.
The interim government has promised elections and a return to democratic governance. How it handles English-medium school regulation - balancing legitimate safety concerns with educational autonomy - will signal whether post-Hasina Bangladesh moves toward greater pluralism or greater homogeneity.
For parents who invested in English-medium education precisely to give their children options beyond Bangladesh's traditional structures, the uncertainty is unsettling. And in a country still finding its footing after massive political upheaval, uncertainty is the one thing everyone already has in abundance.
