Navigating the uncharted: a phenomenological study of Bangladeshi teachers’ perceptions and experiences in implementing the National Curriculum Framework 2021

The successful implementation of a vibrant curriculum is crucial to achieving a nation’s sustainable development through quality education. Recently, Bangladesh has started implementing a new curriculum, the ‘National Curriculum Framework 2021’. In implementing this new curriculum, teachers, students, and guardians are gaining new experiences and facing several challenges. Thus, this paper explores teachers’ knowledge and attitudes towards implementing the National Curriculum Framework 2021. This study employed a qualitative phenomenological approach, conducting sixteen in-depth interviews with purposefully selected secondary school teachers. The data were analysed using thematic qualitative analysis techniques, including a rigorous, consensus-based coding procedure involving numerous researchers to ensure the study’s trustworthiness. The findings reveal that teachers have a favourable disposition towards the new curriculum. At the same time, several challenges arise in implementing this curriculum, including a lack of training and resources, limited professional development opportunities and technological facilities, and unclear assessment procedures. This paper calls on policymakers to take appropriate initiatives to address these challenges by providing adequate training, allocating and utilising resources, and facilitating technological infrastructure to support the implementation of the curriculum and achieve SDG 4 in Bangladesh.