Bangladesh
Basic facts
Primary education (Classes 1-5) is free, but there are not enough
places for all children, so many children do not reach Class 5.
Secondary school covers Classes 6 – 10 with the first national
examination at the end of Class 10 (Secondary School Certificate).
There are two further years of Higher Secondary, leading to the
Higher Secondary Certificate.
Secondary schools are not free, and
many are private schools - although the government pays the fees
of girls up to Class 10 in rural areas. The majority of pupils
in rural areas do not go on to secondary education.
Inherited systems
The method of education was inherited from the days of the British
Raj. Discipline is very strict, children are taught by rote from
textbooks, and are not expected to express their personal opinion
or feelings.
Discussion is not expected or encouraged. The primary
curriculum is centrally controlled from Dhaka, and standard over
the whole country.
As well as government schools, there are also
English Schools and Madrasahs. Here pupils can study for GCSEs
and A Levels. Beyond this, there are 11 government universities
and 20 private universities. Yet many people never get to this
level.
BRAC alternative
Drop out rates in education are high, largely because children are
often needed for village work, and school times do not allow for
this.
Plus there are additional expenses for children at school,
such as textbooks and uniforms which many rural villagers find
difficult to meet. In order to combat this, the Bangladesh Rural
Advancement Centre (BRAC), with the help of the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) have built thatched schools.
The school
day and teacher appointments are decided by parents and there
are monthly meetings to update them on progress and discuss future
developments.
Power of literacy
These schools teach basic literacy, which can make a real difference
to the life of both the student and their family.
By having at
the ability to read and write, it will no longer be possible
for rural families to be tricked out of their land, as happened to
some communities. They were made to put their mark to a document
which they were told was a rental agreement, but was in fact
a sale contract.
Others have been tricked out of food because of
their inability to read the numbers on a weighing scale. Literacy
really is power!
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