Almost 70 percent of children in Bangladesh who complete primary education are unable to read, write or count properly, according to an internal report by the department of primary education (DPE). Sixty-nine percent of students who had completed five years of primary school were unable to read news headlines in Bangla newspapers properly, while 87 percent of pupils failed to do simple mathematical calculations, says the study, entitled National Assessment of Pupils of Grades Three and Five — 2006.
Conducted by the Second Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-II) — a donor-assisted initiative to ensure quality primary education for all children — the study reported that 72 percent of children were unable to write a short composition in Bangla, the mother tongue of over 95 percent of the population. The report also found students “pitiably weak” in English, which plays a key role in day-to-day life particularly in business, higher studies and technical education.
The quality of education in remote rural areas is far worse than in cities, because of a scarcity of English teachers and the predominance of religious schools (madrasas) where English is shunned. The report says students in class V complete only about 56 percent of the Bangla syllabus, 46 percent of the mathematics and 47 percent of the English syllabus. Many poor students come to school half-fed and cannot pay attention to their studies in afternoon classes as “thirst for knowledge is replaced by hunger for food”.
“Inadequately qualified teachers, lack of devotion on the part of the teachers, (and) poor support and monitoring from family, largely contribute to poor learning outcomes,” says Rawshan Ara Begum, head teacher of the Chakhar government primary school in southern Barisal district.
The study recommended that at least 90,000 new teachers be recruited and 60,000 new classrooms be built immediately. Some 200,000 teachers educate close to 19 million students in about 38,000 government primaries countrywide. Teachers are paid by the government which also supplies free text books. At least 40 percent of students receive financial assistance based on their performance, attendance and the level of family poverty.
(Excerpted and adapted from and www.irinnews.org)