Current
Conditions:
Education
Education is a High Priority
Education is fundamental to the development of
Bangladesh. The Government has placed a high priority on it,
particularly at the primary school level. Although official
education statistics are unreliable, substantial progress has been
made over the last 20 years. Enrollments have increased, the gender
balance has improved, and public spending on education has
expanded.
Daunting Challenges for a Growing
Population
- Among those who enter primary
school, only 76% complete it. It takes them an average of 6.6 years
to do so.
- Six percent of children do not
enroll, and 25% of those who do drop out. That means 30% of
Bangladeshi children do not have a primary school
education.
- The average achievement level of
primary school graduates is the 2nd grade.
- Repetition and dropout rates
remain unacceptably high, especially for children living in poverty
and children from minority families.
- The student/teacher ratio is 60
to 1, among the worst in Asia.
- Average student/teacher contact
time is 2.5 hours per day, one of the lowest rates in the
world.
While the Government has increased funding for
education, the expenditure per pupil remains very low. Teachers are
poorly trained and paid. In many cases, they are not working up to
their capabilities, nor to government-set standards. Teaching
methods and materials are generally sub-standard, especially in
government schools. Schools are in poor condition and detrimental
to learning.
System in Need of Reform
The education system is badly in need of reform.
The autocratic, centralized and top down approach that persists
stifles innovation. Corruption in the system and cheating on exams
by teachers under pressure from officials and parents are
widespread. Officially available grade and competency levels are
probably inflated. At the local level, community and official
support for schools is very poor. Only 15% of school management
committees are active, and less than 50% of primary schools have
parent-teacher associations.
Early Childhood Education Receives Little
Attention
Parents and communities do not prepare children
well for school, and preschools have not yet caught on. Informal
"baby classes" have been created at many government schools as a
response to younger siblings following older siblings to school.
However, lack of equipment and a curriculum make them inappropriate
early learning environments.
There are an estimated 9 million children aged
3-6 in Bangladesh. Although the most recent Government plans
include preschool classes in 80% of government schools by 2015,
early childhood development has received little attention. Due to
severe budget and capacity constraints, it is not currently a
government priority. For that reason, it is also not a donor
priority, with a few exceptions. Most existing early childhood
programs are provided through NGOs working with communities.
Despite commendable efforts by the NGO community, the coverage of
existing early childhood programs remains limited. While the
quality varies, most observers feel there is substantial room for
improvement.
In
sum, far from making inroads on the country's educational
deficit, the current education system continues to
add to it, year after year.
Reference : USAID
