Technical education in Bangladesh, which began its journey with the goal of producing a skilled workforce, is now facing a deep crisis itself. Serious allegations have emerged from education stakeholders that widespread irregularities, blatant violations of policy, and unplanned decisions in approving one-year Advanced Certificate Courses under the Bangladesh Technical Education Board (BTEB) are steadily pushing the sector toward a loss of credibility.

According to the BTEB’s own Institution Establishment and Approval Policy, a maximum of two institutions may be approved in each upazila and three in each district headquarters. The policy also clearly mandates maintaining a minimum distance of one kilometer between institutions in upazila headquarters, municipalities, and industrial areas. However, field-level investigations reveal that these policies have become virtually ineffective in practice.

Investigations show that in Boalia upazila of Rajshahi district, five institutions have been approved in blatant disregard of the policy. In the same district’s Paba upazila, six institutions have received approval, although the policy allows only two. Similarly, the approval of three institutions in Bhandaria upazila of Pirojpur district constitutes a direct violation of the guidelines. This raises serious questions about how these approvals were granted, what verification processes were followed, and under whose recommendations.

Information has also surfaced about the approval of four Advanced Certificate Course institutions in Mirpur, a densely populated area of Dhaka city. District headquarters regulations have likewise been ignored: four institutions have been approved in Satkhira district headquarters, despite the maximum limit being three. Education analysts argue that such decisions are not only unplanned but also raise grave concerns about transparency in the approval process.

Another crucial policy requirement—maintaining a minimum one-kilometer distance between institutions—has been almost entirely ignored. Investigations reveal that two institutions operate at the same address in Satkhira, two in Khulna, two in Narsingdi, three in Cumilla, and two in Lakshmipur. In many cases, multiple institutions are functioning in the same building or at the same address. As a result, they rely on the same laboratories, equipment, and infrastructure, which fundamentally contradicts the core principles of technical education.

Students are the direct victims of this situation. Several students reported that learners from multiple institutions are forced to conduct classes in the same laboratory at the same time. Due to a lack of sufficient equipment, not everyone gets the opportunity for hands-on practice. Consequently, the primary objective of practical education—skill acquisition—is being severely undermined.

Further alarming information emerged while attempting to contact multiple Advanced Certificate Course institutions operating from the same buildings or addresses. As part of the investigation, repeated calls were made to the mobile phone numbers listed in approval documents and on institutional websites. However, most numbers were found to be switched off. In some cases, the numbers were active but calls went unanswered. This has raised fresh doubts about the actual existence of these institutions, their regular operations, and student management practices. Stakeholders argue that if even basic communication channels are non-functional at approved educational institutions, it is difficult to believe that monitoring and quality control mechanisms are effective.

Meanwhile, the student crisis has reached a critical level. According to data from the BTEB website, there are currently 274 approved Advanced Certificate Course institutions across the country, with a total seating capacity of more than 16,000 students. However, the reality tells a different story. In the first phase of examinations for the 2025 academic year, only about 8,000 students participated. This means nearly half of the officially declared seats remain vacant.

Educationists believe that approving new institutions while existing ones are already struggling with student shortages will only deepen the crisis. On one hand, entrepreneurs are facing financial losses; on the other, the overall quality of the courses is steadily declining.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one institution director alleged that the Technical Education Board is effectively conducting no monitoring at all. In his words, the board seems concerned only with collecting application fees and granting approvals. “Previously, an institution with 50 seats would easily enroll 50 students. Now, we cannot even find five students,” he said, adding that many institutions are now on the verge of closure.

Regarding the issue, Dr. Md. Majidul Haque, Deputy Secretary of the Technical Wing of the Ministry of Education, stated, “If the policy is not followed, that is certainly wrong.” He also acknowledged that proper verification was not carried out during the approval process. “The education board may have approved institutions indiscriminately without proper scrutiny. The board is supposed to conduct inspections and send recommendations to us,” he said.

He further noted that the ministry lacks sufficient manpower to conduct field inspections and that the primary responsibility for approvals lies with the Technical Education Board. He added that the board has been instructed to take action if activities fall outside policy guidelines.

Technical education experts warn that if such unplanned approvals continue, technical education will gradually turn into a certificate-oriented business rather than a platform for skill development. According to one senior expert, when more institutions than necessary are established in the same area, it becomes impossible to maintain adequate standards in laboratories, trainers, and infrastructure.

Parents have also expressed concern. One guardian said that while promises of modern laboratories and quality training are made during admission, the reality is overcrowded labs shared by students from multiple institutions. This raises serious doubts about whether their children can truly acquire practical skills.

Attempts were made multiple times to obtain comments from the Chairman, Secretary, and members of the institution approval committee of the Bangladesh Technical Education Board. However, until the filing of this report, none agreed to speak. This silence itself raises further questions—does it aim to avoid accountability for policy violations?

The pressing question among education stakeholders remains: if there is no real intention to enforce the policies, why were they formulated in the first place? And despite clear evidence of student shortages and declining quality, whose interests are being served by this ongoing approval frenzy?