65pc turn to coaching against will

FE Report
Coaching business has emerged as a key barrier to the country's primary education system as over 65 per cent guardians are forced to send their kids to coaching centres, making free primary education facility expensive.
According to a social audit on primary education, teachers and school management committee (SMC) members encourage the guardians of students in coaching as an additional initiative for quality education.
It said nearly 54 per cent of the total students have connection with coaching and 58 per cent of them are coached at schools while remaining 42 per cent outside primary schools. "And 37 per cent students have paid monthly fees in between Tk 200 and more than Tk 600 for coaching purposes in schools," it said.
Susashoner Jonno Procharavijan-SUPRO conducted the survey on teachers, SMC members, students, guardians and public officials concerned in 12 districts aiming to know the current status of the country's primary education system.
The FGD (Focus Group Discussion)-based survey was carried out in Rajbari, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Kurigram, Natore, Chittagong, Comilla, Rangamati, Chuadanga, Jhenidah, Barisal and Barguna.  
According to the survey findings, nearly 62 per cent students have been brought under the coverage of stipend (upobritti) which helps significantly reduce the number of dropouts and increase the attendance of students.
However, 49 per cent guardians of the students said the stipend was not enough for meeting educational expenses of their kids and around 6 per cent guardians raised the allegation of paying kickbacks to get the facility.   
Primary schools lack enough and well-trained teachers for the students who need special care as nearly 84 per cent of SMC members said there is shortage of such teachers at their schools, although infrastructural facility is in place for about 33 per cent students of this category.
The school feeding scheme, launched to encourage children to go to schools, is not being followed by a good number of schools as almost 57 per cent students said they didn't get any food from their institutions while only 16 per cent teachers said the scheme is implemented in their schools.
The social audit also covered the areas of school infrastructure, classroom atmosphere and supply of education kits where most of the respondents reacted positively, saying that classrooms have enough space as well as adequate supply of kits like map and calendar.
At the same time, about 78 per cent of teachers surveyed said their schools have tube-wells while 16 per cent said they fetch drinking water from tube-wells outside school compounds.
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