1R . A . . . Fc~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Also from UPL edited by A Muslhtaque R Chowvdhlu,y et al. HOPE NOT COMPLACENCY State of Primary Education in Bangladesh 1999 edited by Qazi Kholhquzzam;ani Ahmad QUALITY OF EDUCATION AND CAMl'US VIOLENCE Case Studies of Dhaka and Rajshahi Universities edited by A K Jalaluddiin alnd A Mushltaque R Chowdzii, v GETTING STARTED Universalisng Quality Primary Education in Bangladesh edited by Kan7al Siddiqti LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN SOUTH ASIA A Comparative Study LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN BANGLADESH Kamal Siddiqui et al OVERCOMING THE GOVERNANCE CRISIS IN DHAKA CITY Reliman Sobhant RETHINKING THE ROLE OF THE STATE IN DEVELOPMENT Asian Perspectives edited by Hastiat Abdul Ilye GOVERNANCE South Asian Perspectives Quazi AzherAli DECENTRALISED ADMINISTRATION IN BANGLADESH edited by Abdul Bayes & Aimi Muhaniniad BANGLADESH AT 25 An Analytical Discourse on Devclopment edited by Wullenm van Schenidel & Kirstent Westeigactd BANGLADESH IN THE 1990s Selected Studies Mohammad Mahbubu RaJ?ahman BUREAUCRATIC RESPONSE TO ADMINISTRATIVE DECENTRALISATION A Study of Bangladesh Civil Service BANGLADESH EDUCATION SECTOR REVIEW VOLUME II BANGLAESH EDUCATION SECTOR REVIEW Volume 11 Published for The World Bank () The University Press Limted The Umversity Press Limited Red Crescent Building 114 Motijheel C/A. P.O Box 2611 Dhaka 1000 Bangladesh Fax: (88 02) 9565443 E-mail:uplIbttb.net.bd Website: www.uplbooks.com First published 2000 e The World Bank 2000 All rights are resenred No part of this puiblication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims/or damages The judgments made in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank's Board of Executive Directors or of the governments they represent Cover design by Ashraful Hasan Arif ISBN 984 05 1571 3 Published by Mohiuddin Ahmed, The University Press Limited, Red Crescent Building, 114 Motijheel C/A., Dhaka 1000. The text has been set in Palatino by Shishir Bose of Mark Printing & Packaging, 618/1 North Shajahanpur, Dhaka 1217. Printed at The Laminators, Gandaria, Dhaka. Contents Part One BANGLADESH PRIMARY AND PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3 A. Dimensions and Distinguishing Characteristics 5 B. Status of Knowledge 8 C. Strengths of the Primary Education System 8 D. Weaknesses 11 E. Government Plans and Policies 17 F. Vision for 2020: Reorientation and Quality Improvement 18 G. Strategy 18 ANNEX: EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION FOR DEVELOPMENT 22 A. Introduction 22 B. Rationale for an Early Childhood Care and Education for Development Program 22 C. DLmensions and Characteristics 24 D. Status of Knowledge 28 E. Strengths and Opportunities 29 F. Challenges 29 G. Plans and Policies 29 H. Vision of 2020 30 I. Key Strategies and Options 31 REFERENCES 33 REFERENCES TO ANNEX 33 LIST OF TABLES 1.1: Primary School Enrollment, Completion and Number of Teachers, 1990-97 5 1.2: Distribution of Primary Level Institutions, Teachers and Students, 1996 6 1.3: International Comparisons of Key Indicators 6 1.4: Average Number of Students per Teacher 7 1.5: Results of School Grading, 1998 9 1.6: Educational Qualifications of Govt. Primary School Teachers 11 1.7: Daily School Timing in Primary Schools Managed by Selected Organizations 14 1.8: Rate of Progression (percent) 16 1.9: Objectives and Means 19 A-1: Dimensions of ECCD Initiatives 24 vi Bangladesh Education Sector Review LIST OF FIGURES 1.1: Gender Parity in Primary Education 6 1.2: Rate of Progression in Primary Schools 17 LIST OF CHART Chart 1: Organogram of the Management of Primary Education 21 Part Two BANGLADESH NON FORMAL EDUCATION 35 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 37 A. Dimensions and Distinguishing Characteristics 39 B. Status of Knowledge 41 C. Strengths 43 D. Weaknesses and Constraints 43 E. Government Policy and Plans 46 F. Financial Implications 46 G. Recommendations 48 H. Vision and Strategy 49 LIST OF TABLES 2.1: Projects in the NFE Sector Under DNFE (1996-2001) 40 2.2: Planned Expenditures for NFE (US $ Million) 47 2.3: Total DNFE Expenditure (Million Taka) 47 2.4: Planned NFE Expenditure and Financing of NFE Projects (Million Taka) 47 2.5: Strategy for NFE 49 LIST OF BOXES 2.1: Basic Education Program for Hard-to-Reach Urban Children 41 2.2: Studies on the Impact of Literacy Training 50 Part Three BANGLADESH SECONDARY AND HIGHER SECONDARY EDUCATION 51 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 53 A. Dimensions and Special Characteristics 57 B. Status of Knowledge of the Sub-Sector 60 C. Strengths of the Secondary System 60 D. Weaknesses of Secondary Education 63 E. Government Plans and Policies 71 Con1tents Vii F. Vision For 2020: Reorientation and Equal Access to Quality 73 G. Towards a Strategy for Development of Secondary Education 74 ANNEX 78 A. Statistics and Description of the System 78 B. Administration and Management 83 C. Donor Support for Secondary Education 87 D. Analysis of the Curriculum 88 E. Examinations 89 F. Examination Preparation and Administration 91 G. Internal Efficiency 94 REFERENCES 97 LIST OF TABLES 3.1: Enrollments at Second Level by Cycle and Type of School, 1997 57 3.2: Overview of Secondary Education, 1997 58 3.3: Destinations of 1993 HSC Graduates 59 3.4: Enrollment Ratios by Level (percent of age group enrolled) 61 3.5: Students per Teacher and Class in Secondary Schools, 1970-1997 66 3.6: Indicative Survival Rates in Secondary Education 70 3.7: Objectives and Means 74 A-1: Transition Rates from Primary to Secondary 78 A-2: Enrollments in Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Total, 1990-1997 78 A-3: Growth in Second Level Education by Type of School, 1993-1997 79 A-4: Proportion of Girls as Percent of Total Students Enrolled, 1990-97 79 A-5: Proportion of Female Teachers by Type of School, 1993, 1995, 1997 80 A-6: Students per School and per Teacher by Division and Type of Secondary School 80 A-7: Higher Secondary Students per School and per Teacher by Division and Type of College 81 A-8: Trainmng by NAEM 82 A-9: Analysis of Science Curriculum, Grades VI-VIII 88 A-10: Analysis of Science Curriculum, Grades VI-VIII m terms of Bloom's Taxonomy 88 A-11: Analysis of Humanities Curriculum Objectives for Grades IX-X 88 A-12: Analysis of Humanities Curriculum Objectives (Grades IX-X) in terms of Bloom's Taxonomy 88 A-13: Analysis of HSC Science Curricula 89 A-14: SSC and HSC Examination Results, 1992-97 89 A-15: SSC Pass Rates (Percent) by Subject, Gender, and Examination Board 90 A-16: HSC Pass Rates (Percent) by Subject, Gender and Examination Board, 1997 90 A-17: Pass Rates and Rank Order of BISEs, 1992-1997 91 A-18: StLdents per Teacher by Type of School, 1991, 1998 93 A-19: Proportion of Trained Teachers by Type of School and Gender 93 A-20: Repetition, Dropout and Promotion Rates by Class, 1993, 1995, 1997 (percent enrollment by class) 94 A-21: Progression Rates Between Grades 94 A-22: Number of Years in which Entrants to Grade VI complete Grade X m '92 & '96 95 A-23: Transition Rates from SSC to Grade XI 95 A-24: Indicative Survival Rates in Secondary Education 96 LIST OF CHARTS Chart 3.1: Organogram of the Management of Secondary and Higher Education 84 Chart 3.2: Organogram of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board 85 Chart 3.3: Organogram of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education 86 Part One BANGLADESH PRIMARY AND PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION Scherezad M. Latif Habibur Rahman EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Vision for 2020. Bangladesh by 2020 should have achieved a strong system of basic education with virtually all children enrolled and completing primary education with at least minimum levels of competency directly related to life skills. Primary education for poorer groups will be supported by targeted preschool education addressing nutritional, health, and didactic concerns. The content of education will stress life skills and problem solving rather than mainly the rote memorization that prevails at present. Rote memorization helps instill a solid foundation in a child's learning, but children also need to acquire the ability to learn on their own, so they can continue to learn after completion of schooling. The highest priority for education as a whole should remain basic education over the first two decades of the twenty-first century for two reasons. First, basic education can continue to contribute to reductions in fertility, improvements in health, and reductions in malnutrition. These are essential elements in Bangladesh's overall development strategy. Second, most jobs in the formal and informal sectors will require basic education. Within the primary education sub-sector, emphasis should be placed on (a) raising learning achievements (or quality) to acceptable levels and (b) consolidation and completion of universal enrollments by targeting the enrollment and retention of hard-to-reach poor youth. Sustained progress should be possible in primary education. Dramatic results have already been achieved in increasing enrollments. Between 1980 and 1997, enrollments doubled from 8 to 16 million, and from 65 to 85 percent of the age group. If schools run by non-government institutions are included, enrollments are increased by a further 2 million. Bangladesh's substantial progress in halving its fertility rate will be felt principally at the primary school level over the next two decades. The total number of primary school aged children is expected to drop by 3 million by 2020, relieving pressure for expansion. This means that investments can be devoted increasingly to improving the quality and management of primary education where the need is greatest. The government, assisted by external donors, has embarked upon a major Primary Education Development Program (PEDP) which is a comprehensive investment program for 1998 to 2003. These investments are aimed at increasing enrollment in under served areas, expanding the provision of textbooks, developing and applying better methods of measuring learning, training teachers, and reorganizing central and local management. Above all, the country is fortunate to have several homegrown alternative methods of primary education developed and perfected by non-government institutions such as BRAC. These methods have successfully produced able primary school graduates in rural areas, particularly girls. Although the public and private sectors are not comparable, lessons can be learnt from successes in either sector and innovations in non-government institutions could be adapted for improvement of public primary education. However, to realize the vision of a strong and vibrant system of primary education, Bangladesh must be prepared to meet the following challenges: . At present almost 10 percent of children do not enter primary school at all. For the most part these children are from hard-to-reach poor families for whom the opportunity cost of attendance is too high. Among these are also children with disabilities and ethnic minorities. * Forty percent of those who enter primary education do not complete the five grades. 4 Bangladesh Education Sector Review * Student wastage (repetition and dropout) is high, with most students taking six years to reach fourth grade. * Those who complete the five grades perform on average at about a third grade achievement level and lack essential problem solving skills. Problems of insufficient quality in primary education stem from several factors. The most basic reason is insufficient effective teaching time in the classrooms, also called "time on task." Reasons for this include low teaching hours (averaging only two hours per day with relatively few school days per year) and high incidence of "irregular presence" of teachers often for official duties unrelated to education. Teachers tend to be professionally isolated and poorly motivated. Continuous learning assessment, an essential tool for improving student performance, is almost absent. Solutions to these problems require priority attention to improvements in quality. Better quality will reduce wastage in the system and increase completion rates. The good news from the financial analysis (Volume I) is that, subject to continued growth, Bangladesh can attain both universal primary education and solve its quality problems within current levels of education spending as a percentage of GDP. Bangladesh should undertake the following actions: * Make quality improvement the number one priority. * Reorient teaching content away from mainly rote memorization and put more focus toward problem solvmg and greater relevance to local circumstances. * Increase focus on learning achievements in school, starting with much better measurement of learning gains and better motivation of teaching staff. * Establish incentives for improvement starting with dissemination of the characteristics of good school performance, publicize school grading results amongst the community, development of school improvement plans, and provision of grants for teacher innovations. * Increase local participation in the management and control of schools so that teachers and managers can be held accountable for results. * Target hard-to-reach children through compensatory programs, including preschool education. * Incorporate the principles and lessons of non-government institution sponsored basic education programs into the mainstream, which requires an improved level of cooperation between the government and non-government sectors. * Increase public investment in primary education on a per-student basis (currently among the lowest in the world), mainly to increase the provision of teachers and textbooks. The highest priority must be kept riveted on effective implementation of the current PEDP which is designed to attack the basic issues in primary education comprehensively. The results of a successfully implemented PEDP should provide the basis for sustained progress, but the program by itself cannot solve all the problems in the primary subsector within five years. Successor investments will need to be carried out through 2020. A. DIMENSIONS AND DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Size and Growth 1. Primary education is five years in length in Bangladesh, starting at age 6. Eleven different types of primary schools exist. Primary education is characterized by: (a) substantial progress made in increasing enrollment during the 80's and early 90's, (b) large number of children from very poor backgrounds and from illiterate families who are now attending school, and (c) diverse types of schools serving children who have diverse needs including working children. Among these there is a very large number of schools run by non- government institutions that have innovative, well-structured and highly relevant schooling models, currently being replicated in Africa and in other South Asian countries. Table 1.1: Primary School Enrollment, Completion and Number of Teachers, 1990-97 Year Number of Children Share of Girls Number of Share of Rate of Schools Enrolled Enrollment Primary Female Dropouts (in million) (percent) Teachers Teachers (percent) (percent) 1990 47,200 12.0 44.7 160,900 20.6 - 1991 49,500 12.6 45.3 160,100 21 .0 59.3 1992 50,300 13 0 45.9 156,500 21.6 46 6 1993 52,900 14.0 46.5 157,600 23.8 39.6 1994 56,200 15.0 47.0 159,100 25.0 38 7 1995 61,300 17.3 47.4 158,700 26.9 - 1996 63,000 17 6 47.6 161,500 28.0 1997 77,700 18.3 51.2 316,500 - Source: BANBEIS and staff estimates, 1999 2. Communities established, managed and financed schools before independence in 1971, with only partial financing by the government. Primary schools were nationalized after independence. As a result about half of the schools are currently managed by the government (Table 1.2). Half of the schools in the primary sector are privately run and managed. There are currently 78,600 primary schools in the country.i Presently about two thirds of the students are enrolled in government schools. Others are in schools managed by non- government organizations, by community organizations or by the Islamic groups. A large number of children, about 840,000 are enrolled in Madrasas, schools managed by Muslim religious leaders where the focus of instruction is the Qur'an. I This number excludes Madrasah schools and includes government primary, non government registered schools and community non registered schools. 6 Bangladesh Education Sector Review) 3. Since efforts to enroll all children in government Figure 1.1: Gender Parity in Primary Education schools fell short, local communities have continued to organize their own schools. Non-government institutions 50 - s are active in promoting education in poor villages , 40 R o Gls n nt% without schools. Non-government institutions have also E 5= 30 - played a significant role in providing working primary 0 20 n Share ~of female teachers (%) school age children with flexibly timed non-formal 1 Shr f programs where they receive basic education. c O Table 1.2: Distribution of Primary Level Institutions, Teachers and Students, 1996 Category of Number of Percent of Number of Percent of Number of Percent of Institutions Institutions Total Teachers Total Students Total (nih.) Government 37,700 47.9 161,500 49.7 11.8 66.9 Non-Gov't Registered 19,700 25.0 78,700 24.2 3.6 20.3 Non-Gov't Unregistered 4,000 5.0 14,700 4.5 0 6 3.3 Schools attached to high schools 1,900 2.4 7,700 2 4 0.4 2.5 PTrs experimental school 50 0.0 300 0.1 0.01 0.1 Ebtedayee Madrasah (indep.) 9,500 12 1 37,900 11.7 0.6 3.5 Ebtedayee attached to high madrasah 2,800 3.5 11,300 3.5 0.2 1.3 Kindergarten 1,400 1.8 8,700 2.7 0.2 1.2 Satellite 200 0.3 400 0.1 0.02 0 1 Community 1,400 1.8 3,500 1.1 0.2 0.92 Total 78,600 100 0 324,800 100.0 17.6 100.00 Source: BAANBEIS, Bangladesh Education Profile 1997 Note. Numbers may not total because of rounding 4. In terms of enrollment and gender parity in enrollment Bangladesh ranks well regionally and is on par with Indonesia and China (See Table 1.3). The country however, is lagging behind in student teacher ratio, 63 students for every teacher; as well as gender parity in the teaching force. However this is misleading because in Bangladesh most schools operate on two shifts. In the so-called staggered shift system the first usually covers the classes for preprimary, Class I and Class II students whilst the second shift includes Class III, IV, and V. The same teacher usually works both shifts. Table 1.4 shows the range of teacher student ratios on the basis of each shift for the government and non-government primary schools. Table 1.3: Intemnational Comparisons of Key Indicators Indicators Bangladesh Indonesia China Sri Lanka South Asia Net Enrollment Ratio (percent) 85 97 102 NA NA Female Student as percent of Total 48 48 47 48 43 Student Teacher Ratio 63 23 24 17 63 Female Teachers as percent of Total 28 52 47 96 34 Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators, 1999, pg 74-88 Bangladesh: Primary and Pre-Primary Education 7 Management and Finantce Table 1.4: Average Number of Students per 5. In 1992, a separate ministry level division, the Teacher Primary Mass Education Division (PMED), was set up in order to help accelerate activities that would attain School Shift 1 Shift 2 GOB goals of achieving both Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Education for All (EFA). PMED Government 33-48 17-52 was originally under the Prime Minister's office but Non-Government 23-37 17-35 after new elections and a new government in 1996, it was moved under the minister of education. The Source CenterforPolicyDialogue,1996 P353 Directorate of Primary Education (DPE), established in 1981 as a step to strengthen the administrative infrastructure of primary education, was moved from the Ministry of Education to the PMED in 1992 (See attached Organogram). There is also a separate Compulsory Primary Education Monitoring Unit (CPEIMU) headed by a Director General. At the community level, the School Managing Committee and various local primary education committees i.e. the Parent Teachers Associations (PTA) are meant to play a supportive role in building a favorable teaching-learning environment in schools. 6. The DPE and its subordinate offices in the districts and thanas are responsible entirely for management and supervision of formal primary education. It employs 161,000 teachers, equips and maintains close to 38,000 government primary schools, supports (through subventions) 9,700 non-government and 10,000 Madrasah schools, and maintains an administrative infrastructure from the head office in Dhaka down to each school. A Director General heads the DPE with functional divisions assisted by Directors and other relevant staff at the headquarters. In the different tiers of administrative units (division, district and thana) the Directorate has field officers, namely the Deputy Director, the District Primary Education Officer (DPEO) and the Thana Education Officer (TEO). Their responsibilities include distribution of textbooks, countrywide organization of in-service training of teachers, recruitment, posting, and transfer of teachers and other staff over the years. The responsibility of school construction, repair, and supply of furniture is with the Facility Department and Local Government Engineering Department (LGED). The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) is responsible for the development of curriculum and the production of textbooks. Each of the thanas has a number of TEOs and ATEOs for school supervision and academic support to teachers.2 Each ATEO is given 20-30 schools to supervise and is required to visit 10. The ATEO is also given per month Tk. 200 for expenses related to school supervision. 7. The Training Division of the DPE assesses the training needs at national and field levels and is engaged in preparing and implementing plans. There are 53 PTIs and one non-government training institute in different locations in the country, which impart pre-service training to primary school teachers. The National Academy for Primary Education (NAPE) has the role of training the Primary Training Institute (PTI) instructors, officials of different levels and conducting PTI examinations and related research activities as an apex training and research institute of primary education. About 173,000 teachers, teacher-trainers, officials and supervisors have been given training on competence based curriculum. The PTIs have the capacity to train 10,500 trainees a year. Recently, under the PEDP, teachers of non-government registered primary schools, satellite schools and community schools have been brought under the training program. NORAD funded PEDP is also looking into curriculum revision of the C-in-Ed training. 8. The government finances all expenses in government schools and 80 percent of the teacher salaries in non- government registered schools, on the basis of school registration and eligibility criteria. The government also makes grants to non-government schools for the repair of school buildings, which is decided based on a checklist of eligible criteria. The Thana Nirbahi Officer (TNO) decides which school gets funds for repair 2 There are 481 thanas (with 4,510 staff), 64 districts (690 staff) and six divisions (71 staff) 8 Bangladesh Education Sector Review and disburses the money. The TNO is the drawing and disbursing officer of every thana and comes from the establishment ministry and the administrative cadre. Students in both government and non-government registered schools receive free textbooks. NGO schools currently do not receive free textbooks. B. STATUS OF KNOWLEDGE 9. A plethora of information exists about primary education in Bangladesh. First, the government and donors prepared several studies for the Jomtien Conference on Education for All in 1990. These included plans for reaching Education for All (EFA) in Bangladesh by the year 2000. The main strategic thrust was a well-structured community mobilization scheme that emphasized the reasons to provide education for girls. The community participation schemes and awareness campaigns are internationally well known and documented. Second, between 1992 and 1997, the GOB implemented a massive multi-donor supported General Education Project (GEP) aimed at improving access to school, quality and management. This project also produced voluminous information, studies and assessments of the system. Third, studies worth about US$1 million from a Japan Grant were carried out between 1995 and 1998 by national and international consultants. Fourth, in August 1999, Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) published a study on the state of primary education in Bangladesh with a particular focus on internal efficiency.3 The findings of this study suggest that despite all the initiatives taken by both the public, private and non-government sectors, the required momentum on improving primary education has not been achieved. These documents provide a comprehensive view of the education system in Bangladesh. Finally, the conference on Universal Primary Education in 1996 brought together the main policy makers and researchers in primary education. The conference produced a thorough analysis entitled "Getting Started: Universalizing Quality Primary Education in Bangladesh". 10. As a result of these activities, the government has achieved a well-structured development program for 1998 - 2003, the Primary Education Development Program (PEDP), with clearly delineated policies and priorities to further improve access, quality and management of the system. The overall program calls for a total investment of about $750 million, of which slightly more than half is to be financed by a consortium of external donors. The government's development plans now clearly spell out what to do, when to do it, and at what cost. Implementation of these plans, however, is somewhat weak. In recent years progress in achieving the intended results is slow and a matter of great concern among policy makers, donors to the sector and other interested parties. 11. Still, some knowledge gaps remain: (1) no international comparisons exist on student achievement, (both because Bangladesh has not participated in international assessments and because it operates no internal national assessment system); (2) only a few studies analyze classroom practices and innovations made by non-government institutions in classroom teaching strategies; (3) little research documents the characteristics of the different kinds of schools found in Bangladesh: government, madrasah, and non-government managed schools. C. STRENGTHS OF THE PRIMARY EDUCATION SYSTEM 12. Perhaps the greatest strength of the system of primary education in Bangladesh is the consistent, high level national commitment and consensus on the priority of primary education. This commitment is reflected in high investments and financial allocations for primary education over the 1990s. As a result of this commitment and the programs it spawned, Bangladesh has achieved one of the largest centralized systems of primary education in the world. It accommodates over 18 million children in regular primary schools (Table 1.1) and 2 million additional children in small non-formal schools. In the five years between 1992 and 1997 the number of primary schools increased by more than half from 50,300 to 77,600. Over the 3 CAMPE, Hope Not Complacency State of Primary Education in Bangladesh 1999, published by the Unuversity Press Limited (UPL), Dhaka, August, 1999. Bangladesh: Primary and Pre-Primary Education 9 same period enrollments increased by 41 percent. Net enrollment4 currently reach about 85 percent of the age group in regular schools and about 90 percent with non-formal education attendance.5 Dropouts over the five-year cycle have decreased dramatically from 80 per cent in the 1970s to 38 percent in recent years. 13. Efforts to get girls into school have been highly successful. These efforts include community mobilization schemes, emphasis on hiring female teachers and locating schools near the children's homes. Girls' enrollment increased from 45 percent of the total in 1990, and is now almost at par with boys' enrollment. Bangladesh also does much better than other countries in South Asia in enrolling students from poor families in primary education. About 70 percent of the eligible children from poor families enroll in primary education. The gap between the richest and poorest children in terms of median grade completed is relatively modest in Bangladesh, around five grades, compared with a gap of nine grades and ten grades in Pakistan and India, respectively.6 14. These impressive achievements are all the more striking given that the parents of these children are illiterate for the most part. About 70 percent of the mothers and 50 percent of the parents of children currently enrolled in school cannot read or write. A few years ago these parents would not have seen the need to educate their children, but the community mobilization schemes and awareness campaigns that followed the EFA efforts of the early 90's have had impressive results. 15. Improved management of primary education is illustrated in several measures adopted by the Primary Mass Education Division (PMED) since 1997. PMED and DPE officials are required to make periodic field visits to spot check on office management in thana and district offices as well as look into teacher and student attendance in schools. The PMED has also mandated that every school send at least 20% of their students for the Grade V National Scholarship Examination. The intention is to use this as a proxy for national assessment of achievement. The result sheets of these exams are distributed, much like the Secondary and Higher Secondary Certificate examination results, in order to check performance. This was not done previously. Table 1.5: Results of School Grading, 1998 '' I INt 4}g; ` -4 -- ' Nt' - Total No % of Total No. % of Total No. % of Total A 6,472 32.9 9,396 33.6 15,868 33 3 B 2,014 10.2 6,395 22.9 8,409 17.6 C %,952 50.5 9,416 33.7 19,368 40.7 D 1Q253' -6.4 2,721 9C7 3,974 8.3 Total - - -.rW' ' 'W 1090 27,928 100.0 47,619 100.0 Source: PAibtNEdteiNN ttj'qy dd'die&t routnding < r~MsU N)- $ , - - 16. In a first-time effort to evaluate schools in Bangladesh, embryonic performance-based criteria are being applied to grade primary schools. The grading system applies to governrment and non-government registered schools. The grading is from A to D and based on a form that asks both subjective and objective 4 Net enrollments exclude over- and under-age students. 5 BRAC schools are considered non formal schools by the government They offer grades 1 to 3 and educate about 1 3 million chlldren ages 6 to 10 GOB figures do not count children enrolled in BRAC schools as enrolled in the formal system even though when these children finish class three m a BRAC school they continue in class four in the government schools For thus report we have mcluded children in BRAC schools as enrolled m school, and for this reason our figure of 90 percent enrollment is higher than the GOB enrollment 6 Dean Filmer and Lant Pritchett, 1998, "The Effect of Household Wealth on Educational Attainment Demographic and Health Survey Evidence," Policy Research Working Paper, World Bank. 10 Bangladeslh Education Sector Review questions. The forms are filled out by ATEOs in consultation with the head teacher and teachers of the school. The completed forms then go to the TEO and the Thana Education Committee who make final decisions on grades for the schools based on the number of points received. The highest number of pomts for any school is 100. The criteria for grading include gross enrollment rate, attendance rate, dropout rate, effectiveness of the SMC, results of school examination and more subjective criteria including attendance and dutifulness of teachers, cleanliness of premises, meetings of the PTA, extra-curricular activities and record keeping. The initial ranking of schools is shown in Table 1.5. 17. The significance of the grading is that sanctions are applied to schools in the D grade. If a school received a D grade, the PMED excludes them from receiving wheat as part of the Food for Education program. If a school wants to improve its grade, the DPEO has the authority to investigate and improve the grade if applicable. 18. The PMED has also initiated routine self-evaluation by school authorities in the form of performance monitoring reports to be filled out by Head Teachers and the Chairperson of the SMCs. Head Teachers and SMC Chairpersons evaluate the school's facilities, classrooms, teachers and learning environments. The performance monitoring reports are submitted quarterly to the office of the TEO where a file is kept on every government and non-government registered primary school in the thana. In addition, in government Model Schools the PMED has piloted student profile cards that list information that include a student's height and weight, parent's income and mode of transport when coming to school. Among other things, the cards will contribute to more accurate reporting of enrollments. 19. In addition to the advantages of strong government commitment and improved management, a wide range of homegrown non-government institutions provide substantial support for primary education. A large and growing number of schools run by non-government institutions use new and well-conceived learning strategies which help children to become literate and numerate in a short time and in a sustainable way. Non-government institutions are particularly active in the delivery of primary education to the economically most disadvantaged children in Bangladesh. Non-government institutions enroll more than 2 million students, but they also demonstrate alternative, innovative practices compared with the public system. Schools run by non-government institutions generally use innovative approaches and teaching methods and tend to have high efficiency rates. One of the largest non-government institutions involved in primary education in BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee). BRAC schools are one-room schools in under served poor rural communities. In total, BRAC schools enroll 1.3 million children. BRAC follows its own materials and teaching methods and their schools offer high quality and effective schooling for very poor children. Class size is strictly limited to 30-33 students. Promotion in BRAC schools is close to 95 percent for the three grades offered. The main reasons for the effectiveness of BRAC schools are that their schools are well organized, children enjoy them, class sizes are manageable, schools are located close to student's home and the teachers are interested in student promotion and take their work very seriously. 20. Textbooks and teachers represent other strengths of the system. Except the students who attend non- formal schools run by non-government institutions, all other students7 at the primary level receive a free set of textbooks, although not always on time.8 The textbooks are of reasonably good quality. They are well designed and interesting. Textbooks are based on a revised curriculum that is supported by 53 competencies designed by the NCTB in consultation with stakeholders. The competencies encompass an impressive array of topics: respect for all religions and people, competency, relevancy and usefulness of Bangla; and addition, 7 In early 1998, the PMED decided not to give free textbooks to non-government mshtutions such as BRAC and others who provide primary education but not all five grades. Currently these non-government institutions have to pay for the NCTB textbooks used in their classrooms. 8 In 1999 the NCTB decentralized the system of textbook distribution and claims that this new procedure has reduced or eliminated delays Bangladesh. Primary and Pre-Primary Edutcation 11 subtraction, multiplication and division for daily life. Table 1.6: Educational Qualifications of Govt. The curriculum has begun to stress higher-order skills Primary School Teachers such as thinking and problem solving. Bangladesh's achievement of producing and distributing reasonable quality books throughout the country is stellar. Secondary School Certificate 49 6 Moreover, most government primary school teachers HigherSecondary Certificate 35.7 have basic qualifications, as seen in Table 1.6. Nearly 60 College Degree 13.4 percent have completed at least 12 years of education. Others 02.3 In addition nine teachers in ten have completed one or C-in-Ed or B-in-Ed training 90.5 two years of teacher training. 21. The government has recently introduced a scheme Source: UNICEF, 1995 of continuous training of teachers through the Assistant Thana Education Officers and Primary Training Institute (PTI) instructors in school clusters. Under this scheme, all the teachers of a sub cluster attend a daylong training session once every two months with their respective ATEOs. 22. The system enjoys a well-developed policy framework and investment plan for 1997-2003, financed by ADB, IDA, Germany, UNICEF, Norway and DFID. There is widespread agreement about the priority interventions of institutional capacity building at the thana and district levels, C-in-Ed curriculum revision, teacher training of registered non-government teachers, provision of free stationery to the poorest students and social mobilization which aim at improving the basic quality of primary education. 23. Primary education m Bangladesh can also be considered highly efficient in terms of the ratio of inputs to outputs. Questions of quality aside, the system has been able to enroll students at a remarkably low cost per student. Given very large class sizes as well as relatively low teacher salaries, the recurrent cost per student per year is only US$13 or less, one of the lowest in the world. Expenditure per student is only about 3.6 percent of GNP per capita, low compared with 11 percent in Malaysia, 13 percent in India and 16 percent in Thailand.9 As a result of low cost per student year, the cost to the government of putting children through school is low. Even in terms of cost per graduate, which accounts for wastage in the system, primary education in Bangladesh compares favorably with other low cost systems in the region, such as Vietnam and India (Volume I, Education Finance). However, low expenditure per student has another, more perverse side, in terms of implications on quality and learning achievement. As discussed in the next section, this low unit expenditure finances attendance of children for less than 3 hours a day during only about 140 days a year. D. WEAKNESSES 24. Despite its numerous strengths, the system of primary education in Bangladesh suffers from major weaknesses. The main problems are quality and management. The system is evaluated in terms of three criteria, namely: external efficiency, or the relationship of outputs to social and economic needs; effectiveness and quality; and internal efficiency in the use of resources. External Efficiency 25. The basic questions of external efficiency for primary education terms are: do children have equal chances for access to attend basic education and to achieve equal outcomes? When in school, do students acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes that they will need for productive lives later? 9 The World Bank, 1999, World Development Indicators pp 75-76. 12 Bangladesh Education Sector Review 26. Equity. Quantitative coverage of primary education is clearly a strength in Bangladesh. Roughly nine in ten eligible children enroll in primary school. However, about 40 percent of those drop out before completing primary education. This means that about 2.2 mnillion eligible children do not attend primary school either because they never enroll or they dropout before completion of the cycle. Enrollment rates vary by socio-economic group. About 70 percent of poor children attend primary school and, as indicated previously, this is a better record than other South Asian countries. However, only about 40 percent of the children of very poor households enroll in school.10 The reasons for non-attendance are mainly financial: the parents cannot afford the direct or indirect (opportunity) costs of attendance. The families are so poor that the children must work. Bangladesh has achieved a relatively high rate of enrollment for such vulnerable groups, but now the question is what should be done to reach the children who cannot participate in primary education. 27. In part the hard-to-reach 10 percent are difficult to reach geographically. They live in remote or inaccessible areas, such as the Chittagong Hill Tracts or the "chors". Some areas have an oversupply of educational facilities with very little provision m others. Large percentages (40 percent) of the extreme poor reside in rural areas, yet villages in remote areas sometimes have no provision at all. Urban provision mostly comes at an unaffordable price 11 and is neither appropriate nor accessible for the poor communities who have migrated to cities, many of whom are working children. Disabled and ethnic mninority children also constitute the hard-to-reach. There are neither facilities nor relevant curriculum and textbooks in schools for both these groups. 28. The government's program for accommodating the hard-to-reach 10 percent includes a large school construction program to cover under served areas of the country. The IDA credit finances targeted subsidies for stationery and school supplies to attract and retain these children by reducing direct costs of schooling. This may however not be enough for the poorest of the poor. Reaching this group would require special programs with components other than education such as school nutrition programs, health and sanitation, compensation for lost income and also motivational/awareness building programs. Poorer students would have to be motivated keeping in mind the high opportunity costs for them even at the primary level. Several studies have found that children in a Bangladeshi village were economically active from the age of six and boys were net producers by age 15. The average wage for boys is Tk. 464 (US$9.50) per month and for girls is Tk. 291 (US$6) per month.12 The government has recently started financing primary education for hard to reach working children through non- government institutions. There is also an incentive program financed by GOB, the Food for Education Program (FFE), under which children who come from landless and very poor families are given up to 15 kgs. of wheat a month if enrolled in school. In addition, GOB along with the Ready Made Garment Industry and donors UNICEF, ILO the DFID and SIDA have provided non-formal education for urban children in the informal sector as well as in the garment industry. The two programs combined benefit about 360,000 working children.13 Special attention also needs to be given to providing relevant schooling for children with special needs and ethnic minorities. 29. More needs to be done to provide positive role models in the teaching population so as to reinforce and sustain the progress towards gender parity. Schools run by non-government institutions have very high proportions of female teachers at the primary level, but the state primary system employs only 28 percent female teachers (up from 21 percent over the past six years - see Fig. 1.1). The proportion of female teachers is a little higher in urban than in rural schools. It has been found that a high proportion of female teachers is an important factor in promoting enrollment of girls in schools. Female teachers, who outnumber male teachers in non-formal centers, have been found to be more effective in terms of their regularity in attendance 10 Asian Development Bank, Secondary Education Project, draft. 11 Parents absorb both the direct and indirect (foregone mcome or labor) costs of primary education. Tuition and books are free, but direct expenses mclude costs such as uniforms, transport, materials and donations to the school 12 Martm RavaUion and Quentm Wodon. Does Child Labor Displace Schooling7 (Draft) World Bank, 1999. 13 There remain however, about 5 8 million working children between the ages of 6-10 who do not attend school Bangladesh Primary and Pre-Primary Education 13 and creating a caring environment in the classroom.14 The government has plans to raise the proportion of female teachers to 50 percent over the next several years, but this requires the recruitment of an additional 100,000 female teachers. This would mean a major change in the system of management and strengthening local community involvement around each school. 30. Orientation. The second issue concerns the relevance of what is taught. In the primary sector, students at all levels of the system need to learn markedly different things from what is currently taught in the education system, such that what they learn is more relevant to life in a democracy and a global market economy. The curriculum is well rounded and carefully designed, but the issue remains its delivery in the classroom and what students actually learn from it. Although the curriculum needs some reworking both on the cognitive front and in the domain of attitudes and values, it is well designed to inculcate numeracy. The traditional method of teaching the basics has been changed to present such material in the context of mathematical logic. However, higher order skills need to be emphasized-such as analysis and problem solving-rather than rote memorization only. While rote memorization is necessary in learning certain facts and formulas and helps instill a solid foundation in a child's learning, children also need to acquire the ability to learn on their own, so they can continue to learn after completion of schooling. They need to know how to work in groups. What are needed are broad skills, not just the memorization of specific facts. Today, there exist excellent models in Bangladesh of content that emphasizes relevant analytical skills, particularly in some of the basic education programs provided by non-government institutions. The non-government institution programs also show how curriculum can be developed to suit the realities of life that poorer people experience and make learning relevant. Beneficiaries and parents also need to view primary education not just as a stepping stone for the secondary level but as an investment which may provide improvements in their immediate life circumstances. Unless the curriculum is seen as attractive and relevant poor people cannot afford the opportunity costs of attending school and cannot use the education to better themselves. Effectiveness 31. Primary education is evaluated below in terms of effectiveness, that is, how well it functions and achieves its objectives. This has two main aspects: quality of learning achievements and management effectiveness. 32. Quality. Insufficient information exists on student learning achievement, but it is widely held that at present students complete five years of primary education with a mastery of only about three years of the content. A study of basic skills among the rural poor showed an even more extreme scenario, that only one- third of those who had completed primary school hacd mastered basic skills in reading, writing, oral and written arithmetic. Achievement of runimum skills level was: 28 per cent in reading, 13 per cent in writing, 37 per cent in oral mathematics.15 This is not normally enough to sustain basic literacy and numeracy. Another study conducted among 2100 children age 11-12 years showed that only 46 per cent of primary school graduates satisfied the criteria of basic education'6 (UNICEF, 1992). Currently, the focus has shifted from getting children enrolled to ensuring that all enrolled children have mastered the basic academic skills. 33. Why should learning achievements be so poor in a system that has wide distribution of reasonable quality textbooks and a large number of trained teachers in government schools? The reasons mainly have to do with low "time on task"'7 for students, under qualified teachers from non-government registered schools and lax supervision/support for teachers by the administration. 14 Jalaluddm and Mushtaque, Universalizing Qualtty Primary Education in Bangladesh, p. 125 15 Greaney, V. Khandker, S. and Alam, M., 1998, Bangladesh Assessing Basic Learning Skills, Washington DC World Bank, p 2 16 A child was considered to have basic education if she/he satisfied the followmg critena. i) correctly answered 75 percent questions on a comprehensive passage; ii) correctly conmunmcated a message through a letter, iii) correctly answered 3 of the 4 mental anthmetic questions; and iv) correctly answered 70 percent of the life skills questions 17 "Time on task" means the time spent m classroom on actual learnng, as opposed to adminrstratve chores, houskeeping matters, sports and social activities Time on task has been found to be highly correlated with learning achuevement of students 14 Bangladesh Education Sector Review 34. Students spend a limited number of hours in school. The total number of instructional hours in grades one and two is very low compared to other Asian countries (444 versus 1,100 in Indonesia and 1,235 in China). There is evidence that even at the primary level in both rural and urban Bangladesh, there is a widespread prevalence of private coaching, Tk. 502 for boys per annum and Tk. 540 for girls per annum.19 This reflects the lack of instructional time in the classroom. In addition to having to teach two shifts of children (Grades 1-2 from 9:30 a.m.-12:00 noon and Grades 3-5 from 12:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m.) each day, primary school teachers tend to spend a considerable portion of their time conducting other work such as collecting data on child surveys, health and immunization work, sanitation and mobilization, the Total Literacy Movement,20 food distribution in the Food for Education Program,21 as well as census and voter ID Table 1.7: Daily School Timing in Primary distribution. Thus, there is little time in class for Schools Managed by Selected Organizations students, including only two hours per day in lower Type of Organizalional - Dailv Schoal classes, and relatively few annual days of school. A School Ti-e (tujo.) study published in 1992 found that effective time devoted to actual teaching-learning activities in BRAC 180 formal schools was less than 40 minutes per day.22 GSS 165 Teachers also tend to be professionally isolated and Proshika 180 poorly motivated. A CPD study (1996) found that the DNFE'8 Schools 120 last two periods of a school day were only held rmal Primary School (Class I&Il) 120 Formal Primary School (Class III&V) 240 regularly in 40 percent of government primary schools. In 40 percent of the non-government schools Souirce. Habibullah et al, 1996 Unwversalizing Quality Primany these periods were not held at all or at best held Education in Bangladesh irregularly and taught in an uninteresting manner. The last two classes are usually natural science and environment and social sciences. The reasons for not holding the last two classes tend to be varied. The teacher may be absent, may leave early, may be deployed to do other work (25 percent), or be required for various non-school activities such as described earlier (18 percent).23 35. To compound matters, daily attendance of teachers has been low. Low attendance, or "irregular presence",24 has to do with additional work assigned from the center (described above), weak accountabil-ity, lack of motivation due to lack of incentives, promotions etc. and -according to anecdotal evidence- side businesses run by teachers such as farming, shop keeping etc. In addition to absenteeism, teachers may combine two classes and teach three hours per day instead of six. Teachers are not penalized for absenteeism or for shortening students' instructional time. The pervasive feeling among teachers is that they are government servants and therefore entitled to pay regardless of whether they perform their teaching duties. ATEOs are supposed to be constantly in and out of schools working with teachers, head teachers, and local communities and supervise 10-15 schools a month. However, they usually end up supervising 30-35 schools. The ministry has taken steps to improve lax school supervision recently, and there is a strong component in the PEDP towards this end. Discussions with PMED officials reveal, in their frequent field visits, they have 18 Directorate of Non formal Education 19 See Volume I, Education Finance, Table 3 8 20 See Volume II, Non Formal Education for details on this approach to achieving adult literacy 21 Food for Education is a GOB program where 40 percent targeted poor children are given up to 10kg of wheat. 22 Karim, AHM, 1992, School based Primary Education in Bangladesh: Review, UNICEF, Dhaka, Mimeograph 23 Center for Pohcy Dialogue, Growth or Stagnation? p. 349 24 According to PMED offhcials, outright teacher absenteeism is no longer a major problem Most teachers attend each day but may not stay for the full school day "Irregular presence" may be a more apt word than absenteeism Bangladesh. Primary and Pre-Primary Education 15 found cases where ATEOs do not visit the schools for inspection but have the head teachers fill out the school inspection forms. TEOs and ATEOs tend to function more as statistical officers than education facilitators, spending most of their time on administrative tasks and distribution of food and textbooks. As discussed under strengths, the PMED has set up a primary school grading system, performance monitoring report and student profile cards which have been piloted. However, the information gleaned from these reports is seldom used to reward, penalize or improve the school. The only sanction applied so far is that schools with a D grade are excluded from FFE. Moreover, Thana Education Committees do not publicize a particular school's grades within the commuruty, which would build accountability as well as awareness among parents. 36. A key ingredient for quality improvement is the establishment of incentives for teachers and school managers to improve learning outcomes. One incentive is to define the characteristics of good schools and good teaching at the institution level as a standard for improved performance. Another incentive is to involve parents and communities more in school management and hold paid personnel accountable for results. The School Management Committees (SMCs) and Parents Teachers Associations (PTAs) which are part of the school decentralization process and are there to augment the democratic governance of school administration, do not enjoy the administrative and financial resources needed to function effectively. First, the role of the members of the SMC are not defined beyond that of the chairperson. How an SMC should conduct its business, who should chair it, etc. are all policies dictated from the top. A 1994 Asian Development Bank (ADB) study25 found that the general feeling in the rural areas is that SMC/PTAs are "committees on paper". Another study documents the relatively ineffective operations of the SMCs.26 In addition, other SMC documents reflect improper recording of minutes, agenda and background papers and ineffective channels of communication. The SMCs tend to go through the motions of transacting routine businesses in order to maintain bureaucratic compliance and documentary evidence. 37. Financial incentives can be provided for innovations initiated by teachers and schools. This bottom-up model of innovation is crucial to establishing the demand at the classroom level for the necessary supporting inputs (e.g., teaching materials, in service teacher upgrading, etc.). This contrasts with the more typical top- down approach of merely providing better inputs for the schools on the assumption that they will automatically be delivered and used effectively. To begin with, achieving better quality and more equality requires a systematic assessment of learning-measuring outcomes of the system at all levels on a continuous basis and feeding the results into both policy making and educational process. Continuous assessment, which is almost totally absent at present, requires the development of a national capacity for learning assessments that is practical and workable at the classroom level. The desired learning outcomes are what count and resources need to be applied much more efficiently to achieve them. This entails much greater flexibility in moving resources around in the system targeted upon those expenditures that make the most difference to learning, and building institutional capacity throughout all levels of the system. 38. Management and Administration. There is a general consensus that one of the subsector's major weaknesses is management. The primary education system must be far better managed than it is at present, in terms of defining strategic objectives, mobilizing and allocating resources, monitoring implementation to achieve priority goals and finding more equitable ways of distributing resources (by geographical regions [urban/rural], gender, and income groups). In spite of strong measures taken in PMED since 1997 to improve 25 Haq and Booth, 1994 26 Jalaluddin and Mushtaque, 1997, examined the documents of a government primary school managing committee The authors found that the "Bilash Nargar" Government Primary School held nine meetings out of mandated twelve meetngs in a year Out of 36 meeting requwred to be held in three years (1992-1995), five members were present in nme meetings Interestingly, 27 meetings did not reveal member's presence An indication of the quality of SMC activities can be gleaned from the list of topics at the meetings which include a discussion of compulsory primary education, overall development of the school, annual sports, organizaton of a cultural fair, SMC election and formation of a new committee, present school condhtion, tree plantation, school furniture, distribution of school textbooks among students and mother's gathering Universalizing Quality Primary Education in Bangladesh p 89 16 Bangladesh Education Sector Review the management of primary education, much more needs to be done. Far too much effort is focused on administration of the system (e.g., controlling inputs) and enormous resources are wasted introducing incomplete and inadequate results. The organizational structure within DPE values administrative compliance and is focused on input rather than being reliant on managerial initiative and oriented to results. Decision making processes are reactive with senior officers being reliant on intuition, experience and anecdotal evidence. There is no business cycle of planning, monitoring, evaluation, and reprioritizing resource allocation to achieve predetermined standards of service. Expected performance levels are quantified in terms of inputs and not expressed as quality outputs. 39. Capacity within the government to address sector wide issues is weak; the PMED and the implementing agencies (DPE, NAPE and field level units) have suffered from poor planning, compounded by weak data, highly centralized decision making and has resulted in overloaded implementation and supervision capacity, as well as inadequate monitoring. The government's program will address these issues at the level of PMED and the implementing agencies. UNICEF will continue to assist the government with local level planning and with community mobilization. Commumties and parents should be empowered to hold schools accountable while greater authority should be devolved to school managers and those in local headquarters so that available resources can be adjusted to local demands and circumstances. The role of the central government needs to change vis-A-vis the lower level administrative authorities in the direction of less direct administration and more policy planning, information analysis, standard setting and system evaluation. Far too many decisions clog the top levels of the administration when they could be handed down for greater effectiveness. Rapid decentralization of authority could also help overcome roadblocks to effective PEDP implementation. 40. The public sector should be willing to finance service delivery by non-government institutions where such organizations have demonstrated the capacity to provide quality services at reasonable cost. This is happening already in non-formal education where non-government institutions provide many of the adult literacy programs and, to a limited extent, in primary education where the government has started to finance non-government institution delivery m hard-to-reach areas. Furthermore, the public sector would do well to contextually adapt practical innovations into public education based on the experience of non-government institutional provision of education. The public and non-government systems are not comparable given the difference in size and scope and therefore, not all innovations will be applicable or feasible in the formal public system. However, the content, structure, and approach of non-government institution-delivered basic education has much to offer to the system at large. Internal Efficiency 41. Internal efficiency is the relationship of inputs to outputs. Table 1.8: Rate of Progression (percent) In one sense, the system is efficient in terms of the low costs for enrolling a student and producing a graduate. However, Class 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 the other side of the coin looks at the wastage of resources in I-II 83 78 81 85 90 the primary system at present. 1-ill1 90 88 93 94 96 42. As shown in Table 1.8, only about 50-60 percent of the III-Iv 83 79 85 85 88 students initially enrolled stay in the system to reach Class V. iV-v 86 88 92 86 96 This means that 40-50 percent of the students drop out at Cumulative Class Ito Class V: 5 5ercent some stage of primary education. 43. In these terms inefficiency is high - huge resources are Source: Staff estimates based on BANBEIS, 1997. wasted on students who drop out. Most students take six years to reach fourth grade. On average it takes 8.7 years of instruction for each graduate from the five-year cycle. Table 1.8 shows the rate of progression through primary school, which ideally should be 100 percent. The rate of progression has improved from 53.4 percent to 59.2 percent for the cohorts reaching grade V in 1994 and 1995, respectively. Banigladeshl Primany and Pre-Prinartl Education 17 The government's program includes components to strengthen Figure 1.2: Rate of Progression in all levels of management in the primary education system Primary Schools (national, district, thanas and school). Decisions on resource use will be devolved to the local levels through a system of block 150 grants for purchase of school supplies and materials. Specific 2 ClassTV-V policy measures have been taken to improve efficiency of s 1 resource use on three major expenditure items: (a) teachers will ° 0 Class 1-111 50- be deployed according to the target teacher student ratio of 1:45 per shift; (b) construction of schools/classrooms will be based on o 0 t I school mapping and in line with the policy that no child will be 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 more than 2 km away from a school; and (c) the distribubon of Years textbooks will remain free to all children and government will phase in a reuse policy. E. GOVERNMENT PLANS AND POLICIES 44. As shown in Volume I, the demographic pressure on the primary education sub sector is expected to decline from the present 18.5 million (1998) children to 15 million by 2010 and would subsequently remain stable at this level. This decline in the size of the primary school age group should release resources which could be redeployed in improving quality, equality and efficiency in the system, i.e., the number of students in classrooms will become smaller, the student teacher ratio will improve automatically and there will be less demand on the government's overheads. 45. Government's development objectives for the sub-sector are to: (a) impro4ve school quality and system efficiency; (b) establish a sustainable, cost-effective and better-managed education system; and (c) ensure universal coverage and equitable access to quality primary schooling. 46. Specifically, government's objectives for primary education in the five years from 1998-2003 are to: * Increase net enrollments from 85 percent to 95 percent. * Increase primary school completion rates from 60 percent to 75 percent. * Raise learning achievements so that 85 percent of completing students will achieve at least grade 4 level competencies in literacy, numeracy and life skills. * Improve school management and academic supervision. * Reduce cost per graduate by increasing instructional time and teacher productivity, and reducing grade repetition. • Allocate education resources more efficiently through: (a) textbook reuse; (b) provision of additional classrooms rather than building new schools; (c) highly targeted new school construction based on demographic criteria; and (d) targeted subsidies to increase enrollment and attendance of girls and the poor in selected urban areas and under served rural conmnunities. * Improve institutional capabilities at national, district, thana and school levels in management, planning, implementation, monitoring and information analysis. 47. Progress towards the objectives will be measured by: (a) learning achievement based on national assessment of Bangla and mathematics carried out in years 1, 3 and 5 of the project; (b) primary school completion rates - total, by gender and location (the poorest 15 percent of thanas and wards), (c) teacher quality based on the percent with Certificate in Education - total, by gender and school type; (d) teacher performance as measured by changes in classroom practice; (e) preparation of annual operational and expenditure plans; (f) numbers of months of staff development and training for school managers; (g) expenditures within 5 percent of annual targets; (h) gross enrollment and net enrollment ratios; (i) cycle costs; (j) physically adequate schools - by school type and location. 18 Bangladesh Education Sector Revzew 48. The priority for the commng years is the implementation of PEDP with all its policies, investments and community mobilization strategies. The risk is that it might prove difficult or impossible to implement the policies and the programs as designed, due to its massive scale, low implementation capacity of the government, poor incentives for teachers and poor opportunities to continue in school. Careful monitoring, well-coordinated donor assistance and continued govermment support are required for success. F. VISION FOR 2020: REORIENTATION AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT 49. Bangladesh by 2020 should have achieved a strong system of basic education with virtually all children enrolled and completing primary education with at least minimum levels of competency directly related to life skills. Primary education for poorer groups would be supported by targeted preschool education addressing nutritional, health, and didactic concerns. For those previously bypassed by the formal system, a variety of non-formal programs would be available that combine literacy with life and income-generating skills. Adult literacy rates should have increased to 90 percent, based on increased school attendance of youth and successful literacy programs provided through non-formal means.27 50. Within the primary sub-sector, emphasis should be placed on: (a) raising learning achievements, or quality, to acceptable levels and (b) consolidation and completion of universal enrollment by targeting the enrollment and retention of hard-to-reach poor youth. Quality is a priority because poor learning achievement as a result of inappropriate instructional programs, not access to school, are now the binding constraint on education's contribution to development. Further, the path to resolution of the remaining access - and retention - deficits lies in significant measure through a quantum leap in the quality of the educational experience. Education is a basic human right, it is for personal development and fulfillment as well as for cognitive and functional skill development, and is therefore essential for democracy. 51. Sustained progress should be possible in primary education. Bangladesh's substantial progress in halving its fertility rate will be felt principally at the primary school level over the next two decades. Given the decreasing demographic pressure, investments can be devoted increasingly to improving the quality of what happens in the classroom rather than the basic physical space for schooling. The government's PEDP which is a comprehensive investment program from 1998 to 2003 should result in the provision of the basis for sustained progress. Above all, the country is fortunate to have several homegrown alternative methods of primary education developed and perfected by non-government institutions, which provide valuable experience for improvement of public primary education. G. STRATEGY 52. Strategic objectives for the system of primary education have been defined in detail for the Primary Education Development Program. These objectives stress that the highest priority must be assigned to quality improvements and strengthening of management. Improvements in quality and management capacity from the bottom up will inevitably raise completion rates and reduce wastage and inefficiency in the system. The good news from the financial analysis in Volume I is that, subject to certain optirustic assumptions about continued growth, the government should be able to achieve universal primary education and raise quality within existing spending as a percentage of GDP. The investments in quality improvement themselves should go a long ways towards correcting problerns of inefficiency in the system. As found in other environments of extreme inefficiency and underfinancing, as in Northeast Brazil,28 quality enhancements can actually help address remaining deficiencies in coverage and greatly improve completion rates. Strategic objectives in primary education and alternative means of achieving them are listed below. 27 World Bank and BCAS, 1998, Bangladesh 2020 28 Ralph W. Harbison and Eric Hanushek, 1992, Educational Performance of the Poor. Lessons from Northeast Brazil, New York, Oxford University Press Bangladesh. Primary and Pre-Primary Education 19 Table 1.9: Objectives and Means Objectives Means 1. Increase the relevance and usefulness of Y Evaluate curriculum content, its objectives, scope and sequencng of teaching content. subject matter; after evaluation create an achievable, relevant curriculum that is supported by a better balance of textbooks, supplementary reading materials and teacher guides. The following activities would help achieve these activities: v Analyze the content of present curncula in terms of their contribution to higher order skills, such as problem-solving. Y Adapt successful non-government institution models and materials for use in regular classrooms and change teaching materials accordingly V Revise teaching programs to achieve the development of higher order skills. y Retrain teachers in methods for teachmg such skills. 2. Improve quality of learning achievements. 1. Increase time on task' by: m Lengthenig the school calendar. [Target: 85 percent of completing students v Increasing instructional time per day should achieve at least Grade 4 levels of y Increasing teacher attendance by reducing the amount of out of competencies in literacy, numeracy and school tasks of teachers such as collecting census mfo, TLM etc., life-skills] establishing accountability and an incentive system for good performance. 2. Improve school performanc by: v Defining the characteristics of good performance. * Encouraging self-analysis of school performance by teachers, administrators and communities as is being done by the Performance Monitonng Reports that are filled out by Headmaster and SMC Chair. * Encouraging schools to develop school improvement plans based on the results of self-analysis * Rate schools according to objective criterria . Financing competitively the best of the school improvement plans through establishment of a school improvement fund * Preparing district improvement plans based on school plans. 3. Increase teacher performance in classrooms by: . Establishing financial incentives for improved effectiveness, e.g., awards, salary mcrements. * Establishing non-financial incentives for good performance, e.g., teacher recognition schemes; peer consultation; additional teaching supplies * Encouraging teachers to prepare proposals for classroom innovations and finance them through an innovation fund. * Establishing capable academic supervision (i.e., coaching) for teachers at the local level - by head teachers and ATEOs. * Establishing competency and performance standards for teacher training institutions and teachers, and an incentive system of good performance. 4. Measuring student achievement systematically, as a tool for diagnosing system and school performance, including: Continued 20 Bangladesh Education Sector Review Continued Table 1 9 Objectives Means • National achievement tests at key grades within the system with results feed back to schools for improvements - this will require the development of national testing capacities. o Extensive training of classroom teachers in how to conduct assessments of student learning routinely o Support new schools in under served areas within 2 km, a mintmum of 150 students and a minimum population of 2,000 o Establish early childhood education programs targeted on children 3. Increasing equitable access: increase access from the poorest families. of hard-to-reach children. o Undertake school nutrition programs. o Conduct motivational, awareness and other training programs conducted for the SMCs. o Develop pedagogical techniques relevant to girl's education, i.e., gender sensitive, in PTIs and NAPE. o Provision of better health and hygiene i e. latrines and tubewells. o Provide all primary school going children with free textbooks, regardless of the type of primary institutions they attend. o Compensate for opportunity costs of schooling by providmg incentives such as free stationery and uniforms 1. Define the roles and responsibilities of GOB institutons so that they may better facilitate the delivery of quality primary schoolmg in both public and private schools. 4. Strengthen institutional and management o Delegate decision-making responsibilities for planning, budgeting, capabilities for an effective, equitable and and implementation to districts, thanas and schools. better managed primary education system. o Establish annual operational expenditure plan format to link each department's key activities, achievements, expenditures and performance targets. o Create and implement a results oriented management development plan for all managers o Give managers timely access to evaluation reports about their areas of responsiblhties. o Establish standardized financial and accounting procedures. o Design better management information systems 2. Increase community ownership of schools: o Increase SMC participation through an expanded block grant for decisions on school maintenance, books and learning materials o Give block grants to thanas for local planning decisions on school rehabilitation and physical facilities. 53. The best choice for implementing the strategy and making maximum impact on primary education is to successfully implement the PEDP. Of all priorities, PEDP implementation is the highest. If all the components of PEDP are implemented vigorously and the proper evaluation takes place and appropriate lessons are derived from experience, then a significant number of issues will have begun to be addressed. PEDP by itself will not solve all the problems. Successor investments will need to be carried out for the next ten to fifteen years. Chart 1: Organogram of the Management of Primary Education |Directorate of Primary dcto| I)lrector~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~ieco iGener (\%!inli-n.lr,, ...... nil Senior ytem l Director D rcc o Direc tor |Drctor F = = g ~~~~~~~~~~Analys (Plannmng & Development) (Tnain (Monitonng) |(AE D)eputv"'IR t|u.' W,irvn j. cltel.l r Deivpw;e;ol Deputy Deu eu Deputy tyeuy | euyl rlrr .,° ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- ') U) 1 P,,C C E) - 0z *.n 0t41 V 1U_ ~ ~ 0 [71 a __ 660 Ib-d, p 32-Q U Liii~~ ~~~~~ <)Q 66 Ibid, p 32 Bangladesh: Secondary and Higher Secondary Education 87 Each Zone has four inspectors who visit 10-15 schools monthly. The DEO also inspects schools. A DEO may require three years to inspect all schools in a district. School visits tend to be brief-one day or less -and ignore school quality issues.67 99. School-based Management. Bangladesh has an institutionalized mechanism for community participation in its educational system. School managing committees (SMCs) and governing bodies (GBs) are required in all recognized non-government secondary schools and intermediate colleges, respectively. These bodies have a term of three years and include eight members plus the school head. The members are drawn from the schools' teachers, guardians, founders and donors, each elected by their respective constituents These committees are expected to meet at least four times a year, but a sample survey found that many had met infrequently, hardly once a year. These bodies mobilize resources, approve the budget, control expenditures and ensure that the school is financially sound; appoint, discipline and remove teachers. However, the performance of these bodies is far from effective. "The role of the headmaster as the academic leader of a school has appeared to have been dimmnished by uncooperative SMCs, such as when unqualified or untrained teachers are appointed.68 To some extent community participation in school development has been marginalized by the government policy of subsidies. This has weakened the teachers' accountability towards the community and contributed to the apparent indifference of SMCs in controlling the staffing and physical standards for better performance.69 C. DONOR SUPPORT FOR SECONDARY EDUCATION 100. The Asian Development Bank has been the main provider of outside support for secondary education in Bangladesh. It provided support for three projects in the secondary education sub-sector. Between 1985- 90 the ADB supported the Secondary Science Education Sector Project (SSESP). One of the main accomplishments of this project was establishment of in-service academic support through the secondary education and science development centers. More that 21,000 teacher were provided in-service training. The Secondary Education Development Project (SEDP) between 1994 and 1999 has provided financing for curriculum reform, instructional materials management, teacher training, civil works, a stipend program for secondary girls and training of administrators. The Higher Secondary Education Project (HSEP) between 1992 and 1998 assisted curriculum and textbook development, teacher training, management improvement and infrastructure. Both the ADB and the World Bank have been financing a Female Stipend Program (FSP) to increase the enrollment of girls in secondary education. Under the project the schools and female students share a stipend of $16 per year. Approximately three million females receive the stipends in grades VI-X provided they meet three criteria: (a) minimum attendance, (b) minimum grades on internal examinations, and (c) abstinence from marriage. The program has been highly successful and has contributed to growth in gender parity at 1.8 per cent per year over the past three years. The European Union is financing a project to increase the employment of female teachers, the Program for Motivation, Training and Employment of Female Teachers (PROMOTE). The ADB has agreed to finance a new project in secondary education with a loan of US$60 million focused on the recommendations of the development plan for secondary education, i.e., on examination reform, curriculum development, management improvement and information systems. 67 AED, 1998g, p. 12. 68 Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, United Nations Development Program, et al (1994), p 85 69 Ibzd, p. 86. 88 Bangladesh Education Sector Review D. ANALYSIS OF THE CURRICULUM 101. The tables below analyze the learning outcomes of general science, grades VI-VIII. 102. According to this Table A-9: Analysis of Science Curriculum, Grades V1-VIII in terms of: analysis the lower secondary general Grades Knowledge Skills Attitudes Total science curriculum VI 142 24 1 167 "has a large number of Vil 174 17 0 191 objectives, very few of ViII 171 15 0 186 which relates to either skills or attitudes; Source ADB, Secondary Education Development Project Interim Report, as quoted in, AED 1998g, p 5 relatively few of the cognitive objectives Table A-10: Analysis of Science Curriculum, Grades VI-VIII appears to require in terms of Bloom's Taxonomy comprehension, still less higher abilities."70 103. A similar analysis for the humanities 7Eo curriculum for grades U U) m IX-X suggests a similar VI 126 13 21 S 2 0 167 position: vii 149 30 3 7 2 0 191 VIII 128 36 14 8 0 0 186 Source: Ibid Table A-11: Analysis of Humanities Curriculum Objectives for Grades IX-X Subjects Knowledge Skills Attitudes Total Civics 10 0 4 14 Economics 48 5 0 53 History 50 0 1 51 Geography 13 8 2 23 Source Ibid Table A-12:Analysis of Humanities Curriculum Objectives (Grades IX-X) in terms of Bloom's Taxonomy Subject Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation Total Civics 7 3 2 2 0 0 14 Economics 35 10 4 4 0 0 53 History 12 2 1 3 3 2 23 Geography 12 2 1 3 3 2 23 Source Ibid. 70 Ibid, p. 5 Bangladesh Secondary and Higher Secondary Education 89 104. With the exception of history and geography, the humanities curriculum shows a simnilar overemphasis on knowledge outcomes. The study concluded that "the content is rich with concepts and topics. Since the learning outcomes state knowledge of content, the tendency is to employ memorization of facts. This is a natural result of putting too much emphasis on knowledge-and little emphasis on skills and values."71 105. Sirnilar orientations exist at the higher secondary level. Table A-13: Analysis of HSC Science Curricula Subject Number of Describing Mentioning Explaining Interpreting, Objectives (from memory) (Recalling) (from memory) Deducing or predicting Botany 204 33% 31% 267o Zoology 133 23% 16% 26% Chemistry 285 19% 51% 24% 6% Physics 226 34% 12% 35%o 4% Source HSEP docutment 14, as qLuoted in Carroll, lbid, p 6. E. EXAMINATIONS 106. Two major external examinations exist m the secondary education system, the Secondary School Certficate (SSC) examination after grade X and the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) after grade XII. In order to pass the examination and obtain a certificate the candidate must pass all eleven subjects. If one subject is failed, the candidate has to retake all subjects. "This restriction must be significantly depressing overall pass rates. ...The present system is inefficient, because it denies certification to significant numbers of students in the subjects in which they have achieved passing scores and forces them to study and pass all subjects a second time, when they may be weak in only one or two. .. The subject with the highest failure rate is universally reported to be English, followed by mathematics. Since there is a chronic shortage of qualified English teachers, especially in rural areas, this is perhaps not surprising. "72 Table A-14: SSC and HSC Examination Results, 1992-97 Year SSC HSC Appeared Passed Percent Pass Appeared Passed Percent Pass 1992 527.8 321.7 61.0 237.7 158.1 66.5 1993 661.9 404.4 61.1 318.2 147.4 46.3 1994 685.8 490 1 71.5 398.5 161.0 40.4 1995 765.1 560.1 73.2 468.8 217 5 46.4 1996 464 3 197 8 42.6 514 7 127.5 24.8 1997 716.9 373 8 52 1 650.3 243 0 37.4 Source BANBEIS, 1998. 107. Several points stand out from the table above: A substantial growth in the number of candidates for the HSC examination, an increase of 410,000 candidates from about 240,000 in 1992 to 650,000 in 1997-an increase of 2.7 times. Many of the candidates were retaking the examination, having previously failed at least one subject. 71 SEDP, Lntenm Report No 11 Comparative Analysis of Currictila of 1997 and 1995for Civics, Economics, History and Geography (Class IX-X), p 52, as quoted in AED, 1998g, p 6 72 AED, 1998g, p 9 90 Bangladesh Education Sector Review o The increase is much more modest for SSC, 189,000, an increase of about 35 percent over the 1992 level of 528,000. o The relatively low pass rates for the HSC, which have declined substantially from the early 1990s (66.5 percent) to 37.4 percent in 1997. (The exceedingly low average of 1996-24.8 percent-is explained by political unrest that year which prevented students from completing their studies and preparation properly). o The variance from year to year, including at SSC from 42.6 percent (96) to 73.5 percent (95) and at HSC from 24.8 percent (96) to 66.5 percent (92). This suggests that standards are not consistent from year to year. Table A-15: SSC Pass Rates (Percent) by Subject, Gender, and Examination Board (percentage who pass of those appearing for the examination) Board Social Science Science Male Female Total Male Female Total Dhaka 36.2 36 1 36.2 66 9 65.7 66.5 Comilla 49 4 48.2 48.7 75.9 75.9 75.9 Rajshahi 37.8 41.2 39.4 69.9 73.2 70.7 Jessore 39.0 38.7 38.8 70.9 70.3 70.8 Chittagong 49.4 50.9 50.2 76 8 78.9 77.5 Source: BANBEIS 108. Important points from the table above: o Science scores are significantly higher on average than social science, by 25 points or more. o The rates vary by Board, from a low in social science in Dhaka of 36 percent and 66.5 percent in science, to 50 percent for social science and 77.5 for science in Chittagong. It is doubtful that the variance in actual student performance can be that great between the two regions. o Female participants were as strong as males, scoring ahead of males in two regions for both social science and science (Rajshahi and Chittagong). Table A-16: HSC Pass Rates (Percent) by Subject, Gender and Examination Board, 1997 Board Science Humanities Commerce Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Dhaka 61.0 64.2 61.0 33.2 38.4 35 7 44.1 57.6 45.7 Comilla 57.2 57.7 57.3 31.2 36.3 33.8 44.4 54 0 45 3 Rajshahi 57.1 52.8 58.2 31.5 40.4 35.1 40.8 48 6 41.6 Jessore 49.6 49.6 49.6 27.5 32.8 29.7 36.5 44.2 37 5 Chittagong 33.7 42.0 37.9 69.5 73.2 70.4 51.5 54.4 51.9 Source: BANBEIS 109. Important points: o Overall pass rates (except for Chittagong) were strongest in science, and weakest in the humanities. Bangladesh: Secondary and Higher Secondary Education 91 * Variance by Boards (from totals): Chittagong is highest in Humanities and Commerce and lowest of all the Boards in Science. Chittagong is clearly an anomaly. * The variance in pass rates was particularly wide in science (excluding the Chittagong low of 37.9 percent), ranging from 49.6 percent (jessore) to 61.9 percent (Dhaka.) * Females had better pass rates in all subjects in all Boards, except Rajshahi science (52.8 percent vs. 57.1 percent for males). * Females were particularly better than their male counterparts in commerce, where the variance ranged from 3 to 13 age points. Table A-17: Pass Rates and Rank Order of BISEs, 1992-1997 Dhaka Rajshahi Jessore Comilla Chittagong ssc 1992 63.0 (1) 61.3 (3) 58 8 (4) 62.3 (2) - 1993 59.1 (4) 60 8 (3) 63 8 (1) 61 9 (2) - 1994 78.4 (1) 67.2 (3) 77.7 (2) 61.5 (4) - 1995 74 4 (2) 71.9 (3) 70.7 (4) 74.9 (1) - 1996 42.2 (3) 38.9 (5) 44 0 (4) 47 0 (1) 44 2 (2) 1997 50.0 (3) 49.2 (4) 47.4 (5) 61.2 (2) 61 4 (1) HSC 1996 24.3 (3) 23.5 (4) 19.3 (5) 30 8 (2) 34 5 (1) 1997 42.4 (2) 39.2 (3) 32 6 (5) 38 8 (4) 46.8 (1) Source BANBEIS 110. Points from the above table include: * There is significant variation from year to year in the relative standings of different Boards. For example, for SSC Comilla has the lowest pass rate in 1994 and the highest in 1995. Jessore had the second highest pass rate in 1994 and the lowest in 1995 and 1997.73 * As pointed out in the AED review (1998g), "Since each BISE assesses a substantial number of students each year, their standard and the rank order of their pass rates should be reasonably constant. That there is so much variation, given the same examination papers, suggests that marking standards are very variable from BISE to BISE and by implication, from year to year within a BISE."74 * "There is no overall guarantee of consistency of content or of difficulty with SSC or HSC. Meaningful comparisons therefore cannot be made between SSC and HSC certificates awarded in different years or by different BISEs."75 F. EXAMINATION PREPARATION AND ADMINISTRATION 111. "Question setters and moderators are drawn from amongst practicing classroom teachers, but they are given no guidance about the content or difficulty of the examination paper apart from the general guidelines laid down in the ordinances. Each of the five BISEs produces three sets of question papers for each examination, and the main paper and a reserve paper are chosen at random from amongst the fifteen, which are assumed to be equivalent. The variability of pass rates calls this assumption into question."76 73 Ibzd, p 8 74 Ibid 75 Ibid. 76 Ibid, p 13 92 Bangladesh Education Sector Review 112. "No examination specification is used to specify the type of questions to be asked. The instructions given to the question setters simply stipulate that questions should not be from outside the syllabus, that as far as possible they should be spread over the whole course, be in simple and unequivocal language, and so graded as to enable students of ordinary merit to answer questions for 50 percent of the marks, students of average merit to answer questions for the next 30 percent of the marks and students of extraordinary merit for the last 20 percent of the marks within the allotted time.77 "Only objective (generally multiple-choice) and essay questions (short and long) are used. Structured questions (multi-part questions) are not used. Marking practices are similarly limited. Detailed marking schemes are not prepared for essay questions. Marking is impressionistic and hence unreliable."78 113. "Marking is done by examiners selected from amongst practicing teachers. They operate under the guidance of around 15-20 head examiners in each subject. Each head examiner is responsible for 20-25 examiners. Head examiners collectively prepare marking guidelines. They do not, however, prepare a marking scheme as it is commonly understood. They then meet with their examiners to discuss the guidelines and practice-mark some scripts. Examiners mark scripts m their own homes at the rate of 250- 350 scripts for each examiner. The head examiners check every script for procedural and arithmetic correctness. ...Head examiners work independently, and it is accepted that the system does not deliver reliable marking. The system therefore works well administratively, but lacks technical validity."79 114. "A significant factor in the BISE's failure to adequately develop their technical capacity and quality review systems may be the system whereby a significant proportion of senior posts are filled through deputation from the general Government education list- usually by lecturers and officers from teacher's colleges," including 33 percent in Dhaka. "They are not likely to have much in-depth knowledge of examination issues and procedures This is inevitably a limitation."80 115. "Another significant aspect of the Bangladeshi system of public examinations is the amount of cheating that takes place. There is clearly an extensive problem of use of unfair means by students. "Cheating on this scale therefore indicates that confidence in the fundamental fairness of the system has broken down-for two reasons (a) a sense that the examination does not fairly represent students' abilities because of intrinsic defects or (b) inequity such as variations in the quality of education received.81 "Increasing the rigor of the (examination administration) will not of itself solve the problem of cheating... Until the quality of the examination improves, so that students' abilities are more fairly represented, and the quality of the secondary schools becomes more equal, so that students from different areas have a much more equal chance to succeed, cheating is not likely to be eradicated."82 116. Another consequence of the stress on public examinations is that the day-to-day assessment of students performance by teachers has been neglected. "...The responsibility of secondary schools in ensuring continuous and comprehensive internal assessment of pupils has been grossly neglected. Classroom teachers in general and an overwhelming majority of examiners and paper setters lack training in the methods and techniques of educational measurement and evaluation."83 77 Ibid., p 6 78 Ibtd, p 7 79 Ibid, p 14 80 Ibid 81 Ibid, p 10. 82 Ibid, p. 10 83 Govermnent of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, et al, (1994), p. 69 Bangladesh Secondary and Higher Secondary Education 93 117. Teachers. "The secondary Table A-18: Students per Teacher by Type of School, 1991, 1998 education system currently is facing an < 1 1998 acute shortage of facilities to meet the 41991 1998 increasing numbers of students who are Junior Secondary 12.5 32 7 graduating from primary school and Government Secondary 30.9 32.4 wish to continue their education. There Non-Government Secondary 25.8 40.2 were too few secondary school Govermment- Intermediate 24.5 38 0 classrooms and other facilities prior to Non-Government Intermediate 26.8 16 1 (the recent) increases in students with Source BANBEIS, Bangladesh Education Statistics, 1995, June 1996, the result that the quality of education Bangladesh Education Statistics at a Glance, 1996, as presented in AED, is now even lower than it was "Seconidary Teaclher Education," July 1998, p. 4. previously. The total number of schools is inadequate and the existing non- government schools are poorly constructed and maintained. The schools lack sufficient classrooms and basic sanitary and other services, science and technology instruction facilities and materials, curricula, books and educational materials and trained teachers."84 118. The variation is striking in students per teacher. Expansion of enrollments in junior secondary schools was accomplished without a proportional increase in number of teachers, thereby increasing the number of students per teacher by 162 percent. Non-government secondary had an increase of 58 percent. Government intermediate colleges also increased substantially by 55 percent. Only non-government intermediate colleges decreased, and that by 40 percent to achieve a comparatively uneconomic ratio of 16 students per teacher. 119. Extreme variations also apply to proportion of teachers trained by ownership of school, as shown in the table below: Table A-19: Proportion of Trained Teachers by Type of School and Gender T p>:,thoolt; ~ No > 'Thers No. of Trained Teachers of Trained Teachers .M ...o.. ." - 'Ferale Total Female Toial Female Jr. Secondary (Non-Govt.) 19,300 2,100 3,100 500 16 2 23.0 Secondary Schools (Govt.) 7,500 2,900 5,500 2,000 73 1 69.7 Secondary Schools (Non-Govt.) 130,300 17,300 46,000 6,900 35.3 40.0 Total 157,100 22,300 54,500 9,400 34.7 42.7 Trained means having rL' ed i Bachelor's in education. Note: Totals may not add, becapuse of rourtding Source. BANBEIS, 1,998, Section I Ta'ble 18 The main points from the Table A-19 are the high proportion of trained teachers in government schools (which have relatively few teachers) at 73 percent, compared with only 35 percent at non-government secondary schools and just 16 percent for junior secondary schools. 84 ADB, 3 April 1998, p. 11 Bangladesh: Secondary and Highier Secondary Education 95 Repetition rates were high for the final year of higher secondary education (XII) at about 11.5 percent. 121. Points from the above table: * Progression rates were fairly constant over the period 1993-97. * The rates decrease with ascending grades, from 94 percent between Grade VI/VII declining to 88 percent between IX and X. * From these rates it implies that about two thirds of students who were enrolled in grade VI reached grade X four years later. Table A-22: Number of Years in which Entrants to Grade VI completed Grade X in 1992 and in 1996 (percent of initial entrants) Years of 1992 Year of 1996 Year of Secondary Schooling Completion Completion M F T M F T 5 years 27.2 26.5 26.9 50.2 41.1 46.2 6 years 12.7 8.2 10.8 10.7 9.1 9.8 7 years 4.2 1.8 3.2 1.3 1.2 1.3 8 years 1.0 0.4 0.7 0.2 0.2 0.2 Total Output 45.1 36.8 41.6 62.4 51.6 57.5 Source: BANBEIS, 1998, Section 1, Table 13. 122. Points from the table above: . The overall completion rate for secondary education has increased dramatically between 1992 and 1996, from 41 percent to 58 percent. * About 10 percent of the initially enrolled students take one more year than normal (i.e., 6 years) to complete secondary education. * Completion rates for females are 8-10 percent lower and the margin increased. 123. The transition rate from secondary to upper secondary education is shown in Table A-23 124. Grade-specific enrollments and progression rates are not produced by BANBEIS for higher secondary education. However, it has reported that theducomption. rteover, ithes clept w has 6Table A-23: Transition Rates from SSC to Grade XI the completion rate over the cycle was 62 percent (i.e., dropout was 38 percent) for the cohort completing the cycle in 1994. School Admitted to Rate at 125. In summary the overall progression Graduates (SSC) Grade XI Grade XI rates for secondary education as a whole (in thousands) (in thousnds) (percent) is something approximating the 1991 308.7 278.6 89.2 following: ~~~1992 321.7 290.3 90.2 following: 1993 404.4 296.2 73.3 126. It may be that the actual survival rate 1994 490.1 341.1 69.6 is higher because students who fail the 1995 560.1 487.8 87.1 examinations often repeat the Source BANBEIS, Bangladesh Education Profile, June 1997, Table 32. examination and the eventual passing 85 Thereby increasing the eventual pass rate for SSC to 68 percent and for HSC to 58 percent. 96 Bangladesh Education Sector Review Table A-24: Indicative Survival Rates in Secondary Education rates are higher. Assuming that a third of those who fail the SSC and HSC Cumulative initially retake the examination and Stage Coefflcient Survival Rate (percent) eventually pass,85 the final Grade XII output increases to 20 percent and the Entrants to Grade VI 100 100 proportion of original entrants passing Percent Completing Grade X 60 60 the HSC to 12 percent. Clearly the Percent Passing SSC 52 31 completion and success rates are low Percent Entering Grade XI 80 25 either under the coefficients above or the Percent Completing Grade XII 62 15 assumed higher eventual pass rates. Percent Passing HSC 37 6 127. Table A-23 shows the high rates of Source: Bank staff estimates based on BANBEIS data, atr. iTion inth sh eondary tem. . ~~~~~attrition in the secondary system. Dropout rates are about 40 percent for grades VI-X, and 40 percent for grades XI-XII. Repetition is around 5 percent per year and attendance rates for secondary school students are only about 60 percent.86 This and low pass rates on the SSC and HSC mean that outputs are extremely low. In 1997 only 374,000 students received the SSC, equivalent to about 11 percent of the age 15 population; 243,000 students received the HSC, equivalent to about 8 percent of the age 17 population. 86 ADB, 1999 REFERENCES Academy for Educational Development and Pathmark Associates. 1998a. "Economic and Financial Issues in Secondary Education." By Lynn Ilon for the ADB Secondary Education Sector Development Project, TA No. 2908-BAN. ____-___ 1998b. "Educational Management Information Systems." ADB Secondary Education Sector Development Project, TA No. 2908-BAN. . 1998c. "A Proposed Secondary Education Sector Development Plan." ADB Secondary Education Sector Development Project, TA No. 2908-BAN. ____-___ 1998d. "Restructuring and Improving Secondary Education." ADB Secondary Education Sector Development Project, TA No. 2908-BAN. _______. 1998e. Secondary Education Development Plarinng, Monitoring and Evaluation." ADB Secondary Education Sector Development Project, TA No. 2908-BAN. . 1998f. "Secondary Teacher Education." ADB Secondary Education Sector Development Project, TA No. 2908-BAN. 1998g. "Student and School Evaluation," by David Carroll for the ADB Secondary Education Sector Development Project, TA No. 2908-BAN. Asian Development Bank. 1998. "Bangladesh: Human Development Strategy Study." Unpublished Draft 3 April 1998, Manila. ____-___ 1999. "Key Issues in Secondary Education." Unpublished draft for Bangladesh appraisal report of new secondary education project, Manila. . 1999. "Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors on a Proposed Loan to the People's Republic of Bangladesh for the Secondary Education Sector Improvement Project." Report No. RRP: BAN 30332, May 1999. Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics (BANBEIS). November 1998. Bangladesh Educational Statistics 1997, Ministry of Education, Dhaka. . June 1997, Bangladesh Education Profile, Ministry of Education, Dhaka. Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, United Nations Development Program and the World Bank. 7 June 1994. Post-Primary Education Sector Strategy Review: Final Report,, Dhaka. Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, United Nations Development Program and Unesco. December 1992. Secondary Education in Bangladesh: A Suibsector Study, Final Report, BGD/90/003, Dhaka Other World Bank Publications from UPL BANGLADESH A PROPOSED RURAL DEVELOP'MENT STRATEGY A World Bank Study AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORLD BANK REPORTS AND lUBLICATIONS ON BANGLADESH 1972-1998 BANGLADESH ASSESSING BASIC LEARNING SKILLS BANGLADESH LABOR MARKET POLICIES FOR HIGHER EMPLOYMENT BANGLADESH RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY STUDY BANGLADESH PURSUING COMMON GOALS Strengthening Relations Between Government and Development NGOs BANGLADESH 2020 A Long-run Perspective Study BANGLADESH GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS Reforming the Public Sector QUEST FOR A HEALTHY BANGLADESH A Vision for the Twenty-First CentLury BANGLADESH EDUCATION SECTOR REVIEW in three volumes The World Bank 3A Paribag 1818 H. Strect, N.W. Dhaka 1000 Washington, D.C. 20433, USA Bangladeslh Telephone: 1 202 477 1234 Telephone: 880 2 9669301-08 Facsimile: 1 202 477 6391 Facsimile: 880 2 8613220 This comprehensive Education Sector Review has been published in three separate volumes. Volume II contains chapters on Primary and Pre-Primary Education, Nor-Formal Education, and Secondary and Higher Secondary Education in Bangladesh. These background reports of the education sector review present a detailed analysis of the relevant parts of the system. The major issues in the primary and secondary levels are examined, as well as the important role of non-formal education in providing basic education. Each sub-sector paper concludes with a possible strategy of objectives and means. Volume I contains the main report and additional papers on Socioeconomic Development and its Implications for Education and Education Finance. The subsequent two papers, organized in Volume III, look at Technical-Vocational and Higher Education. oh mg.XO ISBN 984 05 1571 3 MMMWR~~~~~N~~ 9 789840 515714