Why legal literacy should be mandatory in every Bangladeshi school
Many still believe legal knowledge is only for lawyers or judges, leaving everyday citizens, especially youth, vulnerable and unprotected
In Narayanganj, a secondary school student reported that her classmate was forced into an arranged marriage, despite being under 18. Neither the families nor the community recognised it as a legal violation.
Similarly, a student in Chattogram faced online harassment but did not report it, unsure whether cyberbullying is even illegal. Such incidents are common across Bangladesh and highlight a growing concern: the alarming lack of legal literacy among young people.
Legal literacy — a basic understanding of rights, laws, and the justice system — remains low. Many still believe legal knowledge is only for lawyers or judges, leaving everyday citizens, especially youth, vulnerable and unprotected.
Bangladesh stands at a critical stage towards progress, with a rising youth population, transition towards digitalisation, and rising demands for justice, equality and accountability.
Our education system does not empower school students with even the most basic knowledge of legal rights and responsibilities. As a result, students of this generation are likely to be aware of complex algebra but not competent to legally defend themselves in a crisis.
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However, in the absence of legal awareness, these guiding principles are at risk of being silenced by ignorance, exploitation or fear. Integrating legal education into our school system is no longer non-compulsory, rather it is mandatory and necessary.
Legal knowledge remains inaccessible to most in Bangladesh. According to legal aid NGOs, a large segment of the public fails to possess the necessary legal knowledge to file a First Information Report (FIR), on what the age of consent is, or even how to secure access to government-provided legal aid services.
Our education system does not empower school students with even the most basic knowledge of legal rights and responsibilities. As a result, students of this generation are likely to be aware of complex algebra but not competent to legally defend themselves in a crisis.
The consequences of legal illiteracy in Bangladesh have turned into a serious issue and wide-ranging implications. For instance, underage marriage is a particularly highlighted common example of the consequences.
Many families and even the young girls themselves are unaware that marrying before 18 violates the law, nor are they aware of the legal protections and recourse that are available to them.
Similarly, survivors of gender-based violence, including sexual harassment and domestic abuse, often remain silent not because they are unwilling to seek justice, but lack awareness of their legal rights under laws such as the Nari o Shishu Nirjatan Daman Ain.
The concern extends into the digital aspects as well; only a limited number of people are aware of what constitutes cybercrime or the process for initiating legal action for online harassment under the Digital Security Act.
Both victimisation and accidental criminal behaviour are the results of this lack of awareness. Even in the labour market, a large proportion of young labourers face occupational safety risks and unpaid wages, having no prior knowledge of the Bangladesh Labour Act.
Such occurrences are indicators of a system that has neglected its duty to inform its citizens of necessary legal understanding and how it has the potential to provide them with favourable outcomes.
In South Africa, human rights education is systematically incorporated within the national curriculum, focusing on fundamental values such as equality, dignity, and the rule of law.
Moreover, in Canada, the educational structure introduces students to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms at an early stage, engaging them to be active and responsible citizens.
Integrating legal literacy at the school education level should not be a complicated task. A well-structured and thoughtfully designed curriculum can be engaging, age-appropriate, suitable for students to become interactive, informed contributors to civic society.
An encompassing legal literacy curriculum at the school level should cover the constitution and fundamental rights of citizens, the law-making process, the functioning of the judiciary and law enforcement, along with the basics of criminal and civil law.
This can be put into practice through regular classroom instruction, extracurricular legal clubs, or through the integration of legal topics within established subjects such as social studies.
Practical engagements such as mock trials, debates, visits to court, workshops and interactive sessions with lawyers or human rights advocates can be effective legal learning methods.
Most importantly, the curriculum of legal education should be localised, easily accessible, and regularly updated to reflect contemporary legal issues and societal challenges.
To enact this change, the Ministry of Education must lead in modifying the national curriculum. Legal aid organisations and NGOs ought to participate by creating educational content and training teachers.
Bar councils and university law schools can assist by hosting workshops and various student engagement initiatives. Additionally, the media can significantly contribute to promoting legal literacy among the public and highlighting youth perspectives.
A fundamental failure in the provision of rights education is signified whenever a child is unable to express themself due to lackings of their legal knowledge. When a young individual faces harassment or exploitation because of their lack of knowledge regarding available legal remedies, it results in a loss of the public's belief in the justice system.
For meaningful changes to occur, legal education must begin at the foundational stage within the classroom. Children should be aware that the law is not a threat to fear, but rather a protection for their rights and a tool to maintain fairness and dignity.
Legal literacy is not just about knowing the rules for living; it is a vehicle for empowerment, the exercise of rights, and the pursuit of justice.
Society must not allow another generation to grow up without a fundamental understanding of the legal system. Bangladesh's ambition to attain developed nation status cannot be realised in the absence of justice, as development without legal integrity is ultimately unsustainable.
