Bangladesh

The primary school age population in Bangladesh has been greatly handicapped by high dropout and low completion rates. Many reports mention that more than 50 percent of the students drop out during the primary level (ages 6 to 11) and only 4 percent complete the 12 years of general education. Other problems that affect the primary school attendance include lack of schools at accessible distances, lack of teaching aids and equipment, shortage of teachers, and poor community involvement.

Many needs have been identified to meet the objectives set forth for primary education. Additional classrooms will be provided depending on the increased enrollment, and the ultimate aim is to have minimum of five classrooms in each school. Additional teachers will also be recruited for the additional classes. Teacher training programs and the teaching of learning materials will be improved, and the training of teachers will be conducted and reviewed. Also, the Thana County Resource Centers will be established to conduct in-service and refresher training for teachers. To facilitate this teacher training, one primary school will be developed as a model school for teachers in localized school sub-clusters. The Primary and Mass Education Division will be strengthened, and the Directorate of Primary Education will be organized to facilitate the quality improvement of the management of the primary education system as well.