Bangladesh Trial Report:

Government primary school teachers in Bangladesh are involved in 37 types of non-professional tasks outside their teaching responsibilities, according to a study.

The findings were presented on Tuesday at a research event organised by the National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE). The study was titled “Assessing the Pedagogical, Learning and Economic Impacts of Government Primary School Teachers’ Engagement in Non-Professional Activities in Bangladesh.” Dr. Bidhan Ranjan Roy, adviser to the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, attended the event as the chief guest.

The study identified a total of 37 types of non-professional tasks that government primary school teachers are required to perform.

Teachers spend the most time conducting various surveys, while school maintenance and home visits take the least time. On average, each teacher spends approximately 24 working hours per month on non-professional tasks.

The study also found that the more time teachers spend on non-professional activities, the lower the overall student attendance rate tends to be. After completing additional administrative duties, 90 per cent of teachers are unable to maintain full concentration when they return to the classroom, directly affecting students.

According to the study, 87 per cent of teachers believe these tasks prevent students from properly understanding fundamental subjects and negatively affect their examination results.

A large proportion of students in government primary schools come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Although remedial or special classes are particularly important for these students, 85 per cent of teachers reported that their non-teaching workload prevents them from conducting such classes.

From an economic perspective, the study estimated that teacher labour worth approximately Tk 19.66 billion annually is spent on administrative tasks.

An assistant teacher spends time equivalent to approximately Tk 4,116 per month on non-professional activities, amounting to Tk 49,394.55 annually per teacher. Across the country, the annual cost of non-professional work performed by 346,341 assistant teachers amounts to Tk 17,107,360,751.

Although this represents a direct investment in the education sector, students are not benefiting from it, the study indicated.

According to the research data, head teachers spend more time on non-professional tasks than assistant teachers, averaging 27.74 hours per month.

The study also examined teachers’ psychological well-being. Among the 219 teachers for whom burnout levels could be assessed, 92.69 per cent were found to be experiencing “late-stage burnout”.

The findings suggest that the excessive burden of non-professional duties on government primary school teachers is adversely affecting the quality of education, teachers’ mental health and students’ learning outcomes.

In light of these findings, the study recommended that teachers should not be assigned data collection or administrative tasks during class hours; every school should have an office assistant or digital assistant; all administrative work should be coordinated through a single digital portal; teachers should receive mental health and stress management training; and a long-term “Teaching Hour Protection Policy” should be introduced.