Madrasa, English-medium school enrollment rises in Bangladesh
Government education data shows over 43,000 additional madrasa students and growing enrollment in English-medium institutions in 2025
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Student enrollment in Islamic madrasas and English-medium schools increased in Bangladesh in 2025, with madrasas recording more than 43,000 additional students compared with the previous year, according to the latest government education statistics.
The number of students attending madrasas offering Dakhil (secondary), Alim (higher secondary), Fazil (undergraduate), and Kamil (postgraduate) programs exceeded 2.84 million in 2025, up from more than 2.796 million in 2024, reflecting continued growth in the country’s Islamic education sector.
The figures were published in the Bangladesh Education Statistics 2025 report by the Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS), according to Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo.
The report shows that the number of madrasas offering these programs increased from 9,269 in 2024 to 9,296 in 2025, with 27 additional institutions recorded during the year.
Bangladesh has a longstanding system of Islamic education, with madrasas playing an important role in providing religious and general education to millions of students.
The institutions covered by the government statistics offer education at several levels, including Dakhil, which is equivalent to secondary education, and Alim, which corresponds to higher secondary education.
Fazil and Kamil programs provide higher levels of Islamic education, with qualifications recognized within Bangladesh’s education framework.
However, the reported enrollment figures do not include independent Ebtedayee madrasas, which provide primary-level Islamic education, or Qawmi madrasas, which operate under a separate Islamic education system.
As a result, the total number of students receiving education through Islamic institutions nationwide is higher than the 2.84 million recorded in the report.
English-medium schools also registered an increase in student enrollment during the same period.
According to BANBEIS, Bangladesh had 143 English-medium schools enrolling 29,672 students in 2025, compared with 29,077 students in 2024.
The figures represent an increase of 595 students within a year.
English-medium institutions generally follow international curricula and provide instruction primarily in English, operating alongside Bangladesh’s mainstream Bengali-medium and madrasa education systems.
The latest statistics highlight enrollment growth in both Islamic and English-medium education, although the two sectors differ considerably in size, curriculum and institutional structure.
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