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