Reforming Tertiary Examination Systems in Bangladesh: Towards a Competency-Based, Inclusive, and Equitable Future

Abstract

A remarkable change in Bangladesh’s tertiary examination system is now in urgent demand. Competency, Inclusivity, and Equity are essential elements in education and are required to be applied today. By considering all these factors, the article analyses the assessment context of higher education in Bangladesh, noting misalignment with global standards, issues with assessment design, and policy weaknesses. Based on a mixed-methods approach in a range of institutions, the study identifies underlying faults, such as out-of-date exam formats and inconsistent pedagogical applications, and provides recommendations drawing on global best practice and constructivist theory. There is a vision for a four-stranded reform architecture, with policy, pedagogy, infrastructure, and teacher professional development to create an equitable competency-based system of assessment. This paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge on education reform within developing contexts by offering a data-driven and scalable pathway towards system change in assessment.