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!