MEETING ON TEACHER DEVELOPMENT FOR INCLUSIVE RELEVANT QUALITY EDUCATION

F.M. Enamul HoqueDirector (Finance), Directorate of Primary EducationBangladesh

29-31 May 2012 New Delhi, India

Lesson StudyLesson Studyin Bangladeshin Bangladesh

Country Background

Bangladesh is situated to the eastern side of the Indian Subcontinent, flanked by India in the West, North and Northeast and Myanmar to the Southeast

Bangladesh is a tropical country and threaded by rivers, the three great rivers, Padma, Jamuna and Meghna

The highest density of population in the world having a sustained economic progress with more than 6% growth for last three years.

Government of Bangladesh attaches strong importance and priority for achieving the goals of EFA through implementing free and compulsory primary education especially ensuring quality and inclusive education and maintaining gender parity

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF PRIMARY EDUCATION IN BANGLADESHPRIMARY EDUCATION IN BANGLADESH

Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MOPME)

Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MOPME)

Directorate of Primary Education(DPE)

Divisional Deputy Director Office

District Primary Education Office

Upazila Education Office

SCHOOLSCHOOL

National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE)

Primary Training Institute (PTI)

Upazila Resource Centre (URC)

Education is the fundamental right of citizens of Bangladesh. The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has preserved rights for education with more focus on women development

Article 15 (a) of the constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh attaches the same importance to education as other rights like food, shelter, clothing and health care.

Article 17 of the constitution also provides (a) establishing a uniform, mass-oriented and universal system of education and extending free and compulsory primary education to removing illiteracy from the country.

Constitutional Rights

Education Policy 2010

Education policy 2010 gives much emphasis on primary education and adds separate chapters to express the philosophy of the nation about primary education.

Primary Education in Bangladesh

Types Numbers

Government Primary 37672

Registered Non-Government Primary 20061

Non-registered Primary 666

Community 3169

Kindergarten 4418

NGO 361

Ebtedaee Madrasa 2305

Attached to High Madrasa 9120

Attached to High School 858

Total 78685

Inclusive Education in Bangladesh

Achieve Universal Primary Education. According to Census 2010 conducted by Directorate of Primary

Education, the enrolment rate is 99.1% in Bangladesh. Promote Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women Bangladesh is committed to meet the Education For All (EFA) goals

that all children have access to a completely free and compulsory primary education of good quality.

National Plan of Action (NPA) 2002 – 2015. The Bangladesh Primary Education (Compulsory) Act 1990 The E-9 Declaration (2000)

Second Primary Education Development Program

(PEDP-II)

It covers 4 main components

Component 1

Quality improvement through organisational development and capacity building

Component 4

Improving and supporting equitable access to quality schooling

Component 3

Quality improvement through infrastructure development

Component 2

Quality improvement in schools and classrooms

Inclusive Education Framework

Detailed strategy and action plans have been developed separately specifically to cover Gender and Children with Special Needs. Strategy and action plans have been prepared to Mainstreaming Ethnic Minority Children’s Education and to Mainstreaming Education for Vulnerable Groups.

Strategies and Action Plan to Mainstream Special Needs Children

The key areas need to be addressed

Improved accessibility and ensuring seating for disabled children Awareness-raising at all levels in the system and within communities Teacher training and support for teachers at school level to bring about changes in teaching methodology Increased teacher awareness of their responsibility to provide for all children Improved identification and assessment of children’s difficulties Flexibility in curriculum and school assessment Children with mentally retarded Children with physically impaired Children with hearing impaired Children with communicational impaired Children with visually ampere

Enrolment State

Enrolment in 2012Grade Normal

In ‘000Special Needs

In ‘000Overall In ‘000

Boys Girls Total Boys Girls Total GrandTotal

I 2355 2308 4663 11 9 20 4683

II 2273 2216 4489 12 10 22 4511

III 2173 2150 4323 12 10 22 4345

IV 1899 1912 3811 10 9 19 3830

V 1643 1671 3314 8 6 14 3328

Total 20697

TRAINING IMPARTED

Participants NumberTeacher 62000PTI 110ADPEO 120UEO 500AUEO 2650Total 65380

PLAN TO IMPART TRAINING

Participants NumberC-in-ED 16028Sub-Cluster 11496Need-based 10000Orientation for New Teacher 10000Dip-in-ED 1400Leadership (Head Teacher) 100ICT Education in Model School 5000Total 43024

Gender Strategy and Action Plan

Document was approved by MoPME in January 2006

Increased numbers of female teachers Greater gender balance in all recruitment Building gender awareness and sensitivity throughout the system

Strategy and Action Plan for Mainstreaming Vulnerable Children’s

Education

This document considers vulnerability

It identifies the following specific groups as being vulnerable: street children, children from the very poor families, working children, child sex workers and children of the sex workers, children from refugee and Biharis (Non- Bengali) communities, children from disaster prone, remote/ river island/char, haor and coastal areas, children living in urban slums, children of special occupation groups and communities (gypsy, sweeper, cobbler etc.), children with HIV/AIDS, trafficked children, orphaned children, children from the tea gardens, children from the fishing community, imprisoned children

Action Plan for Mainstreaming Ethnic Minority Children’s Education

Main recommendations are:

Recruit community based teachers Organize training and orientation courses for teachers. Introduce pre-primary schooling using mother tongue languages Review curriculum and textbooks Improve infrastructure of the schools Strengthen the supervision and monitoring Strengthen the SMC Establish new primary schools

Emphasis on autism in PEDP-III

DPE & UNICEF jointly will organize a consultative/idea-sharing workshop with autism experts in Bangladesh. It is decided that a Meena Cartoon would be developed from the ideas of the sharing workshop. The developed Meena Cartoon will be used for growing awareness about Autism all over the country. Sub cluster training for quick coverage for the teachers. One-day orientation for all level officials/teachers. Ensure screening in the appropriate way at school level. Easily understandable concept paper on different kind of special needs children/excluded children/vulnerable/the reason for drop out could be developed and ensure use.

FUNDING FOR PRIMARY EDUCATION

Share of Education in National Budget is about 16.25%

Allocation for Primary Education is about 41.15% of total Education Budget

Government has Allocated about 7.7 billion BDT in this FY 2011-12

For FY 2012-13 Government is planning to Allocate about 10.0 billion BDT

Key Achievements

6 divisional workshops 64 district workshops 54 PTI trainee teacher’s orientation program on IE IE, Gender, Special Needs/Disability, Tribal & Vulnerable Brochures developed (12 brochures) is under procurement process Calendar on IE developed, printed & distributed (86,000) for year 2008 and 2009 Incorporated IE in SMC training manual (60,000 participants trained during 2008-09 FY) Developed sub-cluster training leaflet on IE issues Incorporated IE in Head teachers’ School Management Training manual (24,000 participants trained) Training manual developed for field level officer Incorporated IE in SMC training manual

National Teachers Training

Training in many ways: Inclusive Education incorporated as a subject in DPEd IE training manual developed and training conducted in URCs IE incorporated in pre-primary curriculum developed by NCTB Sub cluster training leaflet developed and ongoing in the system IE leaflet developed and shared with all stakeholders A number of sharing workshops organized for trainee teachers in PTIs

Challenges The main challenges are :

Breaking down existing attitudes and values Developing awareness and understanding at all levels Providing support for teachers Providing appropriate teaching and training methods Providing appropriate teaching materials and teaching aids Ensuring transfer of training into teaching practice Ensuring teachers share new knowledge and methodologies Developing a flexible learner-friendly environment Governance especially ensuring good governance up to the grass-roots level

Recommendations

Mass awareness-raising of the importance of education within the various communities Provide Early Childhood Education as preparation for formal schoolingLink schools with secondary schools, vocational training and other institutions or organisations to assist children Schools to be flexible to respond to the specific difficulties of the local community, in particular schools timing, contact hours, holidays, students evaluation system, teachers appointments, transfer, posting Inter-ministerial coordination and cooperation to improve health, sanitation, education, security, financial support, and relief in times of disaster and food crisis

Thank You