Clustering Secondary Education and the Focus on Science: Impacts on Higher Education and the Job Market in Bangladesh

Overview & Synopsis

Many countries continue to follow a policy of clustering educational provision by disciplinary stream as developed during the British colonial era. Whether such an approach enables education to fulfill its developmental purpose is still open to debate. Using multiple qualitative tools, this study investigates the impact of clustering education in Bangladesh. The findings suggest that the clustering system favors science graduates, creating an atmosphere of educational disparity. This disparity affects the symbiotic and reciprocal relationship that exists between different levels (i.e., secondary, tertiary) of education. The clustering system further contributes to a larger "horizontal educational mismatch" in the job market. As a consequence, it is argued that, in Bangladesh, the education system fails adequately to support social and economic developments. This article suggests a revision of the prevailing policy to address the constraints.