Out of school children in Bangladesh inevitably need work-based learning

Bangladesh offers free and compulsory primary education to all the school aged children and the government adopts various steps to make it successful as nobody would be left out of school. The country has made remarkable progress in boosting enrolment and attendance in primary education alongside with reducing dropout considerably. However, still a considerable number of children have been out of school because of dropout or have never been enrolled in school due to social adversities, unfavourable living conditions because of geographical impediments and last but not the least financial constraints. In addition, the government has deep concern for the recent rise of dropped out children because of confronting huge learning losses or engaging income-generating activities for livelihood embraced during the pandemic. Despite the progress that has been made in education especially in the primary education sector over the years, still there is room for much improvement in the field of creating access to receive basic education for these unfortunate out of school children.

 

Children that are out of school tend to be mostly from economically disadvantaged households and vulnerable populations of urban slums and hard to reach/remote areas like low-lying haors, tea gardens, Chars, tribe inhabited areas, hilly areas etc. Above mentioned areas’ vulnerable families also have financial problems that certainly discourage them from receiving the basic education of their children. So, they need to provide not only the opportunities of acquiring foundational literacy and numeracy but also to provide skill-developing training to make them employable and competent or to the labour market.

 

Work-based learning can provide a strong learning environment and develop job oriented skills to out of school children. Employers must get benefit by recruiting these learners through utilizing productive skills of them. The country also benefited from an increase in skilled labour and ensuring out of school children’s smoother transition from school to stable employment without heavy government investment.

 

Work-based learning is a promising way of engaging never enrolled or dropped out youths to work by making them employable through providing skills development training as well as foundational literacy and numeracy knowledge. Work-based learning provides young people with an alternative way to learn that is a blend of job-oriented and academic. It can provide a bridge into careers, equip them with skills that are in demand in the labour market and connect them to potential employers.

 

Employers or industry owners’ engagement is essential to make work-based learning initiatives for out of school children/youths a success. Therefore, finding ways to make work-based learning more attractive to employers is a key challenge for policy makers. The government needs to motivate employers by clarifying the philosophy of this philanthropic initiative that it not only provides an opportunity for employers to show social responsibility, but also be well aligned with their business objectives. There may be an MOU with the government and employers for providing logistic and monetary support to run the work-based learning centres as a collaborative initiative. Learners also have a contract with the concerned employers to work for the employers for a stipulated time with the rationale wages.

 

Work-based learning may promote and develop both academic and skill development learning of out of school children and empowering them to become successful in the job market. Their developed job-oriented skills and achieved academic knowledge may be demanded by the international labour market too. Therefore, developing a significant number of out of school children into skilled workforces by nourishing them through launching work-based learning centres should get the most priority to the government and the following step might be considered by the government.

 

The government may sign an MOU to the employers to run countrywide work-based learning centres providing logistic, technical and monetary support. Curriculum development and management related activities might be administered by the concerned ministry and directorate.

 

BOESL may be given responsibility of running some centres in each district so that skilled manpower might be developed for international labour market recruitment.

 

Skill development training courses might be selected considering the learning centre area’s labour market demand as well as local natural resources that have alignment to used raw materials by the employers. Target students’ family profession may also be considered.

 

Flexible timetable may become effective for smooth running of the centres. In addition, the students might be provided nutritious food and a monthly stipend.

 

Considering massive demand for skilled labour forces in the competitive domestic and international labour market as well as fulfilling SDG targets, the government may introduce the work-based learning approach for mainstreaming up to the secondary tier.

 

Md Bayazid Khan

auparbayazidkhan@gmail.com

The writer works for primary education in Bangladesh.

Education in Emergency

South Asian countries are mostly accustomed to facing natural disasters like flood, cyclone, tornado, tidal surge, river erosion and earthquake before COVID-19 fatally infects every corner of these countries. South Asian nations for the first time experienced severe adverse effects on education due to closure of educational institutions for a long time. No other natural disasters had long time shatter or dissolution in learning of students as is seen in case of the pandemic. It annihilated students' learning massively.

As education is the key to development, therefore by any means learning among learners should be continued amidst emergency. Before being affected by COVID, education in emergency situations might be considered during natural calamities. But the pandemic, treating also as an emergency compelled policy makers to develop innovative plans for continuing education. Closure of educational institutions due to COVID results fatal losses in learning. The aftermath of losses in learning may become costly to keep wheels of overall development into the right momentum later to south Asian countries.

So, considering pandemic and other natural disasters as emergencies, policy makers need to chalk-out compatible and implementable plans and develop a skilled and committed workforces in the education sector for keeping students in learning all the year round. To continue students in the learning process during an emergency, front liners (teachers and education managers/administrators) need to develop professionalism. In addition, construction or renovation of infra-structural facilities, providing of emergency resilient learning friendly materials or supports, empowering front liners in developing and implanting need based plans etc are to be ensured during emergencies for continuing education.

The pandemic realized rigorously how important it is to develop professionalism in teachers and administrators in the education sector. Educational institutions have been closed since the inception of COVID-19 transmission. Students are out of face-to-face learning for a long period although governments of south Asian countries have been introducing remote learning methods as well as offline initiatives to keep students in the learning process. The pandemic was totally an unexpected and puzzling challenge in the education sector. Governments had no other alternatives to introduce online or remote learning despite knowing the limitations of applying the method. Impediments like absence of Internet connectivity at remote areas, non-availability of digital devices to hundreds to thousands of students of poor families, no or poor frequency of receiving lessons that has been broadcasting on TV & radio alongside with absence of TV or radio at home of poor families etc hinder to make governments’ initiatives a success. Rather, introduced initiatives have been brought undesired discrimination towards ensuring inclusive learning. As introduced, remote learning methods have no access to a huge number of students, therefore some of the governments (specifically Bangladesh) simultaneously adopted offline initiatives. But success of introducing online and offline initiatives proves dissatisfactory as some teachers are found having disinterest in imparting teaching by using virtual sources. Moreover, some teachers have the apathy to visit students’ homes with the assignments/worksheets (offline initiative) to support students in clarifying their understanding. A significant number of students completed or submitted home based activities with poor or no learning. Parents and guardians hardly have seen teachers encourage them to support kids to use digital devices for remote learning. But once upon a time parents witnessed primary and secondary school teachers’ commitment and rapport building attitude who had the only mission of ensuring learning of students by visiting home and consulting parents. Although they didn’t have the highest level of educational qualifications and training on teaching-learning, they had invisible professionalism. The pandemic reminded parents of the then teachers’ professional attitude and felt a fatal absence of professionalism among nowadays teachers.

Parents and guardians have also been observing poor quality professionalism among education administrators/managers. They have been failing to motivate teachers and parents to work simultaneously for successful implementation of introduced blended methods of online and offline initiatives minimizing the challenges by utilizing existing resources. Professionalism helps administrators become proactive to motivate teachers to perform duties with missionary attitude during emergencies.

Other forms of emergencies that also have disruption to students’ learning with less intensity compared to the pandemic. So, education in emergency indispensably requires professionalism within teachers and education managers. Discerning parents and stakeholders firmly believe that developing only professionalism in teachers and administrators may fulfil their expectations mostly to maintain continuity of learning during an emergency. Professionalism in education goes beyond a checklist of requirements. Instead, it includes ability, integrity and ethical values that may help in performing duties effectively. Professionalism fosters a strong belief to satisfy stakeholders' expectations of professionals regarding offspring’s disruption free learning.

Both pandemic and other short-time emergencies demand launching of “Home and Neighbourhood Schooling” facilitated by parents/knowledgeable relatives and local volunteers/higher class students/ retired teachers or service holders respectively and monitored/guided by teachers of nearby educational institutions. In addition, providing of emergency resilient learning friendly materials and infra-structural support such as construction of temporary classrooms or renovation of classrooms/furniture, supplying of laminated books & learning materials to learners and providing of schools with boat regards to ensure teachers’ visit to Home or Neighbourhood Schools for supporting students with a view to mitigate learning losses during flood, tidal surge, river erosion and cyclone is crucial. On the other hand, introducing self-study learning package on core subjects for learners, guidebook for instructor/facilitator of Home or Neighbourhood Schooling, providing of digital devices to poor families students & smooth Internet connectivity to every parts of the countries towards ensuring inclusive access to remote learning during pandemic might have efficacy to keep students in learning. A dedicated TV channel on education and inclusive broadcasting of education in radio may be launched and access of these remote learning sources to students must be ensured.

Education in an emergency inevitably requires capacity building of teachers and education managers to develop need based emergency resilient plans and make sure of providing them monetary support along with available resources for implementation of plans.

Md Bayazid Khan

auparbayazidkhan@gmail.com

The writer works for primary education in Bangladesh.

Post-pandemic education in South Asia and Africa requires innovation in learning

To reduce the morbidity and slow the spread of COVID-19 most governments compelled to temporarily close educational institutions around the world as preventive measures. This is because of reviewing evidences from previous outbreaks of infectious diseases shown that transmission of an outbreak may be delayed by closing educational institutions. Suspension of face-to-face teaching at primary/elementary and secondary schools has led to concerns about consequences for students’ learning. Schools closure in South Asian and African countries bring massive loss to students’ learning as well as discrimination to ensure inclusive learning.

Considering virtual platforms for learning as critical lifeline for education during the pandemic, educational institutions of above-mentioned countries began conducting classes via video-telephony such as Google Meet and Zoom. Because of non-availability of Internet facilities to all parts of the country and lacking of digital devices to students of poor families, most governments also introduced remote learning through television, radio, mobile phones etc to keep students in the learning process. Considering massive number of students who don’t have digital device facilities, governments like Bangladesh has taken offline initiatives for ensuring their learning too. Initiatives like submission of assignments by parents/guardians at secondary tier and supplying uniform lesson plan wise work sheets to students by visiting homes or suitable place convenient to neighbourhood students by teachers at primary tier etc are instances of government contribution to continue learning among students during the pandemic. Despite of taking online and offline initiatives, governments of above-mentioned countries failed to ensure inclusive learning because of majority of students’ absence to access to virtual platforms or digital devices for utilizing provided alternatives sources for learning.

The learning loss due to the pandemic is indisputable. Learning losses cause forgetting what students had learnt earlier and losing foundational abilities such as reading with understanding and performing four basic operations in mathematics, which are the basis of further learning. Students will be pushed towards more complex learning abilities of the new class with the losses. As undergone learning losses because of school closure can never be compensated fully, therefore post-pandemic education in South Asia and Africa demands following initiatives to be considered enabling students to recover lost learning that may be useful for next class learning.

Students with poor reading skills and lacking of performing four basic operations in mathematics may be identified. Remedial measures might be taken to regain lost reading skills and foundational abilities in mathematics assigning class wise teacher for supporting.

At the outset of imparting teaching in the classroom, teachers need to review subject wise previous class contents that have linkage to present contents. Regards to ensure this class time and contact hour must be increased.

“Home and Neighbourhood Schooling” may be introduced to recover forgotten previous class learning, strengthen reading skills, support to prepare school lessons etc where parents/relatives and volunteer teachers (Retired teachers, Local High School/College students) respectively act as facilitators/instructors. A teacher may bring Home & Neighbourhood Schooling activities of a particular area under supervision.

Broadcasting of lessons on Television and Radio/Mobile Phone Radio might be continued to keep the provision of utilizing alternative sources of learning to mitigate the losses due to COVID-19. 

Outbreak of the COVID-19 like pandemic may not be a one time infectious disaster as world community has bitter experiences of facing immense affect of these types of outbreaks in the past. As overall development of a country mostly depends on educated and skilled workforces, therefore South Asian and African countries pivotally requires keeping future generations in learning process fighting against COVID like disasters. Therefore, schools should have the practices of conducting online classes for every grade once in a week by using Google Meet/virtual platforms confirming preparation to mitigate learning losses combating against the pandemics. Regarding this, initiatives might be taken so that all students may have digital devices for ensuring access to online learning. In addition, parents may be encouraged to use smart phone/digital devices ensuring the lowest price of digital devices only for them as well as governments may consider providing of smart mobile phone/Tab to students of poor families. Moreover, initiatives may be taken so that speedy Internet facilities may become available to schools and adjacent areas. 

Last but not the least, teachers should have commitment and ownership to make the initiatives of compensating learning losses a success by motivating learners and parents to contribute sincerely as well as giving extra efforts by themselves. 

Md Bayazid Khan

auparbayazidkhan@gmail.com

The writer is working for E4E in Bangladesh as volunteer co-ordinator.

Primary education in Bangladesh during pandemic demands blend of remote and offline learning

Md Bayazid Khan

The COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in human history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 200 countries. Bangladesh has also no exception. The pandemic has forced an unprecedented shutdown of educational institutions and as a result around 42 million children has been affecting severely due to discontinuation of face-to-face learning. As challenges must bring some opportunities too, therefore the pandemic has provided us with an opportunity to pave the way for introducing remote learning. As the pandemic strongly demands maintaining of social distancing rigorously, therefore there were no other alternatives to keep learners in the process of learning using multifarious platforms of remote learning. The government introduced broadcasting of digital contents of teaching-learning for primary level students under the program “Ghore Boshe Shikhi” through Bangladesh Sangsad Television and Bangladesh Betar (radio).

 

Acknowledging remote learning- a better way for mitigating ongoing crisis, the government initiative to broadcast lessons through television and radio is praiseworthy. But, it comes with a downside by creating inequality in terms of access to entire learners of primary education. Even children from poor and remote areas’ households with lacking television and access to Sangsad Television (those have television) and Bangladesh Betar are deprived of receiving imparted lessons. On the other hand, low and no tech areas students had no access to receive lessons on social platforms.

 

The virus has enabled us to think further how to do things differently, particularly for children who have been adversely affected in learning with a view to build a more inclusive and equitable education system. A recent study says that the majority of students from rural areas and marginalized socio-economic backgrounds are unable to access remote learning opportunities through television, radio, internet and smart phones as they do not have access to these devices. On the other hand, most of the advantageous group of students didn’t find virtual classes meeting their expectations and learning needs effectively as they are habituated with face-to-face teaching-learning at schools.

 

Transitioning from traditional face-to-face learning to remote learning can be an entirely different experience for the learners, which they must adapt to with little or no. Therefore, it has become essential for students to engage in offline activities and self-exploratory learning beside remote learning.

 

However, lessons learned from the pandemic considering aforesaid realistic challenges that certainly affect children’s learning badly, think tanks need to focus on promoting inclusive alternative learning methods. A blended method consisting of both remote learning applying via home schooling or neighborhood schooling and offline learning initiatives may be the effective strategy of building inclusive and equitable learning opportunities during pandemic like disasters.

 

Unlike the conventional home schooling style applied in other countries, where parents or relatives or other knowledgeable persons act as instructors to conduct basic education at home, the ongoing situation demanded home/neighborhood schooling may be introduced by using broadcasted lessons through television and radio as well as recorded or live teaching-learning activities from social media platforms. Lessons only on core subjects should broadcast through radio and TV considering the lesson plan developed by NAPE. Students might be supported by parents/relatives at home schooling and by volunteer teachers (local secondary school or college students or ex. teachers) at neighborhood schooling. Dividing government primary school catchment’s area proportionate to number of teachers, each area may be given under a teacher to monitor and supervise home/neighborhood schooling activities and conduct face-to-face teaching once in a week to each of their concerned home/neighborhood schools. Thus students should continue the going-to-school rhythm to cope with changes caused by the pandemic and it certainly dispels monotony. But this requires launching of a dedicated terrestrial education television channel by the government. The use of mobile phone radio for receiving lessons on Bangladesh Betar could be effective to reach students of poverty-stricken and hard-to-reach areas families. In this regard, need based low-cost simple mobile phones with radio options might be provided to students with GO-NGO collaboration. In addition, parent/relative and volunteer teachers may provide virtual training and catchment’s area based responsible teacher may facilitate virtual trainings.

 

It’s important to note that there is no one size fits all when it comes to learning. Policy makers need to think about for students with different needs and for students who might not have access to digital devices at low or no tech areas. So, there needs to consider following offline initiatives to be taken beside remote learning.

 

Weekly or fortnightly based class wise activity sheets from textbooks for core subjects might be distributed to students engaged at home/neighborhood schooling. Responsible teacher for concerned area may collect and evaluate activity sheets weekly or fortnightly and give feedback to parent/relative and voluntary teachers to dispel students’ learning weaknesses.

 

Voice message might be sent to guardians’ mobile numbers everyday about lessons schedule that is going to broadcast on TV & Radio alongside following social contacting & health rules.

 

Mobile phone contact with students by responsible teacher might be continued to know their interest and progress in learning alongside with providing feedback. Activities might be noted down in a registrar.

 

Evaluating activity sheet and considering mobile phone responses, responsible teachers need to visit supportable students home to improve their learning.

 

Maintaining social contacting and following health rules strictly, teachers may allow to coming at school once in a week to share achievements of their students learning and identifying ideas to be added or subtracted to existing plans.

 

Self Study Learning Pack (SSLP) comprising with important chapters of core subjects considering lesson plan might be developed for students. In the light of SSLP, Learning Supportive Pack (LSP) for parent/relative and voluntary teachers may be developed too. It is important to note that responsible teacher of concerned area may support students as well as parent and volunteer teachers to use self-study materials.

 

auparbayazidkhan@gmail.com

The writer works for Education for Everyone in Bangladesh as a voluntary co-coordinator.

GO-NGO Collaboration Still Has Efficacy in Primary Education

 

Realizing the importance of elementary education, the government has been taking extraordinary initiatives since setting out country’s journey after independence. Amazing initiatives that the government had been taken were nationalize all non-government primary schools in 1973 despite of facing country’s crippled economic condition and again in 2013, make primary education compulsory and free of cost, inaugurate food for education program, enable domestic and international donor countries or agencies to contribute together to the development of primary education by the name of primary education development program etc. Government heartfelt efforts continues as initiatives like Primary Education Stipend Program, School Feeding Program, Second Chance Education Program for out of school and dropped out children, Fourth Primary Education Development Program with a view to ensure infrastructure development of schools as well as qualitative improvement of teachers and students performances etc are running nowadays effectively. Bangladesh has made rapid envious progress in primary education especially in the areas of access, equity and internal efficiency (reducing dropout & repetition, increasing completion of primary education cycle).

 

 

But the most significant setback for children in primary schools is quality of education, which leads to low-learning outcomes and absence of functional learning. This eventually increases dropout in primary tier as well as reduce primary graduates’ transition to secondary education. Primary education is still facing challenges regarding lack of quality and functional learning by children and around 4.6 million children of primary school age are not pursuing their education despite government massive investment and attention in this sector. Primary education in the country enriched nowadays with adequate qualified and trained teachers. Beside, schools are ensuring of child friendly school environment by constructing new buildings/additional classrooms, separate wash blocks for boys & girls, boundary wall and providing playing accessories, multimedia projector, learning materials etc. Moreover, schools have been supporting with money to implement school level improvement plan alongside with bearing expenses regarding decoration of pre-primary classroom, repair of furniture/classrooms/toilets/

water sources etc every year. On the other hand, primary schools students all around the country are providing with stipend and multi-color books with free of cost and high protein biscuits & mid-day hot meal to some selected upazilas. Despite of having aforesaid facilities still the sector has been facing difficulties such as overcrowded classrooms, inadequate desk-benches, insufficient contact hour due to huge number of double-shift schools, malnutrition among children, lack of commitment among teachers in imparting qualitative and child-centered teaching, lack of accountability regarding teachers’ timely arrival & departure, absence of effective academic supervision by supervisory authorities, irregular attendance by underprivileged students, absence of learning atmosphere at home etc. All of above-mentioned hindrances affect severely to provide qualitative and functional learning to entire primary schools students.

 

The government is grappling for providing quality primary education to entire students and creating equitable access to pursue basic education to out of school and dropped out children. Regarding this, the government is mainstreaming pre-primary and primary education and spending huge amount of money every year for ensuring child-friendly school environment and teachers’ professional development.

 

Research shows that quality and commitment of teachers is a major detriment to children’s learning and well-being. The country has significant numbers of well-qualified and trained teachers but most of them have absence of commitment in performing their duties as missionary. Providing quality learning to children, government should show zero tolerance regarding teachers’ commitment in imparting quality teaching, timely start and finish of daily lessons by any means, supervisory officers’ active role in improving teachers’ professional development through intensive academic supervision, make and implement need based policy for teachers’ posting & transfer emphasizing priority of school and children’s interest etc.

 

So, instead of contributing through donors’ pool under primary education development program, NGOs and international agencies have limited areas to work directly for improving primary education through launching discrete projects. The following areas may consider working discretely by NGOs.

 

NGOs may work with underprivileged/nomadic children, children with disabilities, children in remote areas or vulnerable areas affected by natural disasters etc those who are often denying their right to education regarding ensure their access to basic education.  Children who left out from government run “Out of school children education program” might be considered for bringing under benefit.

 

Considering pivotal earning sources to meet necessity of family’s demand of working or slum or nomadic children, NGOs may work for continuing their education and earning simultaneously. They may be ensured attachment to respective workplaces with the agreement with employers to complete children’s skill development process in an interested discipline within stipulated time and ensure their appointment after successful completion of skill attainment. Meanwhile they might be provided with monthly stipend as immediate compensatory. Education program with flexible timetable comfortable to children may introduce for them (who are excluded from government run out of school children education program) providing them with food, school uniform, pen/notebook etc. Developing database of these children may become helpful for continuing their learning even they transfer to another place for living.

 

 

NGOs may launch “Supportive Learning Center (SLC)” for children who don’t have convenient learning environment at home regards to clarify understandings of daily lessons as well as help them to prepare homework for next days lessons. The program may contribute to strengthen children’s functional learning too. SLCs may run before or after scheduled timetable.

 

NGOs may work for ensuring of timely start and finish of daily teaching-learning activities at remote or hard to reach areas schools providing transport or logistic support to teachers. They may arrange cost effective “Teacher Boat” for haor/char areas or “Teacher Vehicle” for hilly areas/tea gardens or “Teacher Hostel” regarding this.

 

Bullying is detrimental to development of children. Girls, children with disabilities, children of underprivileged or vulnerable or ethnic minority families may become the victims of verbal or physical or social bullying at schools. NGOs may work to raise awareness among teachers, parents and students so that this awful behaviour can never take place at schools.

auparbayazidkhan@gmail.com

The writer works for Education for Everyone (UK Registered Charity 1172424) as volunteer coordinator in Bangladesh.