The rising child labour rate signals a regression: children are being diverted from school education into work, simply because of economic precarity. This is not inevitable. The mechanisms to reverse it exist.
Bangladesh’s most recent data paints a worrying picture of its education system: despite 84 per cent of children completing primary school, fewer than half – just 44 per cent – make it to class 10. This drop-off highlights a critical “leaky pipeline” between primary and secondary schooling, revealed in press coverage and underlined by education experts.
The attrition is steepest in the transition to upper grades: many students stagnate or leave during lower-secondary (classes 6 to 8), and very few persist into and complete upper-secondary (classes 9 and 10). Analysts suggest a range of contributing factors – from economic pressures to weak pedagogical engagement in schools.
Educationists warn that this trend undermines decades of progress. Maintaining access to primary school is no longer enough – if too few youngsters complete secondary education, Bangladesh risks limiting its future workforce’s skill levels and its long-term human capital.
Primary Dropouts Surge After Years of Progress
The concern deepens at the primary level too. According to the Directorate of Primary Education’s Annual Primary School Statistics (APSS) for 2024, the dropout rate at primary schools has jumped to 16.25 per cent, up from 13.15 per cent in 2023 – the first such rise in 14 years.
The data shows the dropout rate is especially high among boys, who saw their rate surge to 19.02 per cent, while for girls it rose more modestly to 13.36 per cent. Underlying causes include inflation-driven financial stress, rising costs of school supplies, climate-induced economic shocks, and household decisions that prioritise short-term survival over continued education.
To counteract this trend, the government is reintroducing a school feeding programme in 23,000 primary schools, offering children items such as eggs, milk, buns and bananas – a measure aimed at alleviating the economic burden on vulnerable families and encouraging school attendance.
Infrastructure also emerges as a deeper issue: many schools continue to operate on a double-shift basis, leading to overcrowded classrooms, reduced contact hours, and compromised learning environments. Observers argue for renewed investments in classroom construction, more single-shift schools, and better teacher–student ratios to improve retention.
Surge in Child Labour Mirrors Education Slippage
Compounding the education crisis is an alarming rise in child labour. The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 2025), conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in partnership with UNICEF, reveals that 9.2 per cent of children aged 5–17 – roughly 1.2 million more than in previous estimates – are now working. This surge reverses earlier gains, according to UNICEF’s press release.
The MICS report underscores a strong correlation: many of the children who leave school early – particularly those dropping out before class 10 – are entering the workforce rather than continuing their education.
UNICEF warns that rising child labour threatens not just the rights of individual children, but also Bangladesh’s long-term development prospects. Children who drop out early are less likely to access stable, well-paying employment later in life, perpetuating cycles of poverty.
Education and Labour Are Interlinked
A critical insight – drawn from the MICS 2025 preliminary report – is that education retention and child labour are tightly intertwined, especially during the transition from primary to secondary schooling. While primary enrolment remains high, retention beyond the basic grades falters, and many children who leave school are pushed into labour.
The report highlights how economic vulnerability, rising costs, and limited social protection are pushing families to make difficult decisions: either send their children further in school, or have them start earning income. These findings echo long-standing research linking weakened social safety nets, insufficient school supports, and labour pressures as root causes of dropout.
Moreover, MICS 2025 data shows that while some protective policies exist, they are not always adequate or accessible. Without stronger, targeted interventions, the trend threatens to widen inequality and stall Bangladesh’s progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the survey report says.
What Must Be Done: A Call to Action
Based on the survey’s findings, experts and policymakers are calling for urgent reforms across education, social protection, and child protection systems:
- Inflation-Indexed Stipends & Cash Support:
Stipends for students must be adjusted to keep pace with inflation. Families facing economic hardship need reliable support – not only for tuition, but also for books, uniforms, and other school-related costs. - Reviving School Feeding Programmes:
Accelerate the rollout of school feeding – particularly in low-income and rural areas – to reduce the immediate cost burden on families, boost attendance, and help keep children in school. - Improving School Infrastructure & Teaching Quality:
Invest in single-shift schools, build more classrooms, hire more teachers, and reduce classroom congestion. Quality of education must improve, especially in secondary grades, to make schooling engaging and relevant. - Strengthening Child Protection and Labour Monitoring:
Establish or expand systems to identify children at risk of labour, monitor school dropout hotspots, and provide reintegration paths into education. Social services should link with schools to support vulnerable children. - Community Engagement & Conditional Support:
Build community awareness on the long-term value of education. Design conditional cash transfer programmes that tie financial support to school attendance, particularly beyond primary levels. - Evidence-Based Policy Design:
Use data – like that from MICS 2025 – to identify regions, communities, or demographic groups most at risk. Tailor interventions to these needs and track impact over time.
The MICS 2025 survey carries a stark moral and economic message: failure to retain students in school is not just a loss for individuals, but a systemic risk for Bangladesh’s development. When a majority of children don’t reach class 10, the nation forfeits the opportunity to build a skilled, educated youth workforce – vital for innovation, productivity, and sustainable growth.
At the same time, the rising child labour rate signals a regression: children are being diverted from education into work, simply because of economic precarity. This is not inevitable. The mechanisms to reverse it exist – but they need political will, community commitment, and sustained investment.
