We are dismayed to see the lack of efficient teachers leading to poor results for board examinations published on Saturday. The Daily Star reported a drop in the pass rate in the Junior School Certificate (JSC) exams under the eight general education boards from a 9.79 percentage points fall from that of the previous year to 83.10 percent this year.

The results were particularly poor in English and Math examinations and latest reports cited poor quality of teachers as one of the main reasons behind this. It is not surprising that educationists are pointing out that the children are not acquiring the required base in English and maths for a lack of skilled teachers, particularly in non-government schools in rural areas. According to the latest government report cited on The Daily Star report, around 88 percent of the 78,415 teachers giving English lessons at secondary level did not study English as a core subject in graduation and master's levels. The remuneration that teachers are offered getting is far from adequate which discourages one to take on the profession. Upon joining the profession, the training they receive is insufficient.

The government must understand that education is the bedrock of development. It deserves an adequate budget and training institutions to build capacity of teachers. English and Math are necessary competencies to have in a country like Bangladesh that aspires to achieve middle-income status. Teacher training programmes and a lucrative remuneration package to encourage brighter minds to take on the profession should be encouraged. We urge the government to recognise education as the first and most important step we can take as a nation to fix all our other problems and invest accordingly.