Millennium development goals and Ananda School project
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Anjuman Ara Arju
MUBARAK Mia, a snake-charmer in his mid-40s, encashed a cheque from a Sonali Bank branch using his fingerprint. He knows how to catch a snake, a tough and risky job indeed. But he cannot write his own name, a task neither tough nor risky.
But Mubarak has got something to cheer about. He did not let his daughter Parul follow his footstep -- remain illiterate. Parul is a student of grade five at Ananda School. Much to her family's delight, she has been selected for the forthcoming scholarship examination.
The school management committee has given Mubarak a cheque for taka 250 to encourage Parul to succeed in the scholarship exam. Parul's dad is thrilled thinking that his daughter, like many girls, can dream of a bright future.
Parul is lucky enough to get the opportunity to be educated. But, unfortunately, millions of children like her are deprived of education. Many of them have not been enrolled yet while many, though enrolled, drop out even before completing their primary education. Most of these deprived children end up working as child labourers.
The universal primary enrolment is one of the main Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that envisages 100 per cent net enrolment rate (NER) by 2015. Enrolment is not the end of the story. The project wants all children to remain in schools until they complete their grade five, the last year of the primary education.
The government of Bangladesh is working to make "Education for all" a success through government schools, private organisations, NGOs and the madrasas. The success rate of primary education in Bangladesh was 96 per cent till 2000.
Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure survey shows Bangladesh's NER achievement at 65.4 per cent, which proves that some of the country's education indicators are much better than some other South Asian countries.
According to information provided by the World Bank, India and Pakistan achieved 75.2 and 70.5 per cent gross enrolment rate (GER) respectively in early 2000. In terms of NER, the rate of Pakistan and India was 50.5 and 54.8 per cent respectively while in Sri Lanka it was 77 per cent.
The number of out-of-school children in Bangladesh has reached a staggering 3.5 million. One in seven children does not go to school while one in three enrolled drops out. So, Ananda School can be a vital tool to face the government's challenge of achieving the goal of 'education for all' by 2015.
Ananda School is not like traditional schools of Bangladesh. It's basically an education centre. This school only aims to provide primary education to underprivileged children, including the physically impaired ones. When 25-30 unenrolled or dropped out children are found in a locality, local government, social and educational institutions form an 11 -member committee. The committee then finalises the list of students.
This school is a project of ROSC (Reaching Out of School Children) financed by the government, the World Bank and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Primary Education Directorate is implementing the project. It will cost about Tk 3.9 billion in implementing the programme from 2004 to 2010.
The government will provide only Tk 364 million while the World Bank and the Swiss agency will provide the rest of the amount of about Tk 3.42 billion. So far, 60 backward upazilas and 75 children's welfare primary schools have been brought under the project. The Ananda School is run and managed by the local community. Even the teachers are selected by themselves. All the transactions, including disbursement of student allowances, are conducted through Sonali Bank.
The ROSC will provide primary education to 500,000 children using NCTB textbooks. As this is a project for poor and working children, they are given grant twice a year. In Ananda School, the teacher student ratio is 1 teacher for 25-35 children. At present, a total of 350,000 children are studying in 11,250 Ananda schools in 60 upazilas of the country.
Along with MDGs, Ananda School will also help implement the UN charter on children's rights. It is clearly stated in the charter that the rights of children, including their rights to education, must be ensured. Any discrimination in the society will be treated as violation of human rights.
Dr Mokhlesur Rahman, one of the key planners of the ROSC project, says the government is fully committed to implementing a national plan of action for education for all (EFA) by 2015. The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has begun implementing (from July 2003) the second Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP 11), aimed at improving the quality of education, enhancing access to schooling, and ameliorating overall management and oversight of the state's provision of formal primary education.
"However, non-formal schools providing primary education, also known as Learning Centres (LCs), which enrol a significant proportion of the school-age population are outside the ambit of PEDPII. Studies indicate that these institutions have a positive impact on education."
Dr Rahman says, "The target of ROSC is to enrol 500,000 students in Ananda Schools. The project started in July 2004. As planned, it could not enrol 100,000 students in 2005 academic year. In 2005, only 727 Ananda Schools have been set up in 20 upazilas to teach 25,000 students."
In 2006, more than 7,000 Ananda Schools were set up. In 2007, another 3,000 such schools were set up for importing primary education to more than 330,000 disadvantaged children. There is a plan to establish more schools in 2008 to reach the target of enrolling 500,000 students.
He also says both the government and NGO projects were being implemented by the NGOs before ROSC had started. In practice, these NGOs were trying to make profits by exploiting the commoners. Therefore, the first thing of the ROSC was to create an opportunity where locals will manage the education for these children.
There are also many problems in the schools, already set up. A guardian of an Ananda School student in Khaliajuri upazila of Netrakona says, "The school often remains closed due to absence of teachers." She also complains that the centre management committee (CMC), responsible for running the school, resorts to nepotism in selecting teachers.
Among the chosen 60 upazilas for setting schools, there are many which are located in remote areas. And, in those places qualified teachers are not found. The teachers of these schools are irregular and impunctual, as they live far away from the schools. They are also poorly paid.
The annual monitoring report 2006 shows that 8.0 per cent of the teachers of the Ananda Schools receive below Tk 1,000 a month. One third of the schools conduct class-teaching for of less than three hours. One teacher teaches children from different classes at the same time in one classroom.
Jannatunnessa Begum, a teacher, says irregular attendance of the students is another problem. "Irregular students can't be given equal attention like the regular ones.
An expert says, "It would have been better had it been possible to do more. We've to keep in mind that we don't have the ability. We'll have to make our efforts within our capacities." He emphasises the need for teachers' training and playing of greater role by the upazila education officers.
There is another problem. Students of government primary schools are admitted to Ananda Schools only for the money given to them twice a year resulting in deprivation of the genuine disadvantaged children. The number of dropout children is also quite high.
ROSC project director in the hierarchy of the Primary Education Directorate AK Nazmuzzaman says, "We're moving ahead facing all these odds."
If the Ananda School project can be made successful addressing the existing problems, the country will achieve the MDG in education. Not only that, Bangladesh will also be free from illiteracy, an impediment to its development.
NewsNetwork
MUBARAK Mia, a snake-charmer in his mid-40s, encashed a cheque from a Sonali Bank branch using his fingerprint. He knows how to catch a snake, a tough and risky job indeed. But he cannot write his own name, a task neither tough nor risky.
But Mubarak has got something to cheer about. He did not let his daughter Parul follow his footstep -- remain illiterate. Parul is a student of grade five at Ananda School. Much to her family's delight, she has been selected for the forthcoming scholarship examination.
The school management committee has given Mubarak a cheque for taka 250 to encourage Parul to succeed in the scholarship exam. Parul's dad is thrilled thinking that his daughter, like many girls, can dream of a bright future.
Parul is lucky enough to get the opportunity to be educated. But, unfortunately, millions of children like her are deprived of education. Many of them have not been enrolled yet while many, though enrolled, drop out even before completing their primary education. Most of these deprived children end up working as child labourers.
The universal primary enrolment is one of the main Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that envisages 100 per cent net enrolment rate (NER) by 2015. Enrolment is not the end of the story. The project wants all children to remain in schools until they complete their grade five, the last year of the primary education.
The government of Bangladesh is working to make "Education for all" a success through government schools, private organisations, NGOs and the madrasas. The success rate of primary education in Bangladesh was 96 per cent till 2000.
Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure survey shows Bangladesh's NER achievement at 65.4 per cent, which proves that some of the country's education indicators are much better than some other South Asian countries.
According to information provided by the World Bank, India and Pakistan achieved 75.2 and 70.5 per cent gross enrolment rate (GER) respectively in early 2000. In terms of NER, the rate of Pakistan and India was 50.5 and 54.8 per cent respectively while in Sri Lanka it was 77 per cent.
The number of out-of-school children in Bangladesh has reached a staggering 3.5 million. One in seven children does not go to school while one in three enrolled drops out. So, Ananda School can be a vital tool to face the government's challenge of achieving the goal of 'education for all' by 2015.
Ananda School is not like traditional schools of Bangladesh. It's basically an education centre. This school only aims to provide primary education to underprivileged children, including the physically impaired ones. When 25-30 unenrolled or dropped out children are found in a locality, local government, social and educational institutions form an 11 -member committee. The committee then finalises the list of students.
This school is a project of ROSC (Reaching Out of School Children) financed by the government, the World Bank and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Primary Education Directorate is implementing the project. It will cost about Tk 3.9 billion in implementing the programme from 2004 to 2010.
The government will provide only Tk 364 million while the World Bank and the Swiss agency will provide the rest of the amount of about Tk 3.42 billion. So far, 60 backward upazilas and 75 children's welfare primary schools have been brought under the project. The Ananda School is run and managed by the local community. Even the teachers are selected by themselves. All the transactions, including disbursement of student allowances, are conducted through Sonali Bank.
The ROSC will provide primary education to 500,000 children using NCTB textbooks. As this is a project for poor and working children, they are given grant twice a year. In Ananda School, the teacher student ratio is 1 teacher for 25-35 children. At present, a total of 350,000 children are studying in 11,250 Ananda schools in 60 upazilas of the country.
Along with MDGs, Ananda School will also help implement the UN charter on children's rights. It is clearly stated in the charter that the rights of children, including their rights to education, must be ensured. Any discrimination in the society will be treated as violation of human rights.
Dr Mokhlesur Rahman, one of the key planners of the ROSC project, says the government is fully committed to implementing a national plan of action for education for all (EFA) by 2015. The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education has begun implementing (from July 2003) the second Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP 11), aimed at improving the quality of education, enhancing access to schooling, and ameliorating overall management and oversight of the state's provision of formal primary education.
"However, non-formal schools providing primary education, also known as Learning Centres (LCs), which enrol a significant proportion of the school-age population are outside the ambit of PEDPII. Studies indicate that these institutions have a positive impact on education."
Dr Rahman says, "The target of ROSC is to enrol 500,000 students in Ananda Schools. The project started in July 2004. As planned, it could not enrol 100,000 students in 2005 academic year. In 2005, only 727 Ananda Schools have been set up in 20 upazilas to teach 25,000 students."
In 2006, more than 7,000 Ananda Schools were set up. In 2007, another 3,000 such schools were set up for importing primary education to more than 330,000 disadvantaged children. There is a plan to establish more schools in 2008 to reach the target of enrolling 500,000 students.
He also says both the government and NGO projects were being implemented by the NGOs before ROSC had started. In practice, these NGOs were trying to make profits by exploiting the commoners. Therefore, the first thing of the ROSC was to create an opportunity where locals will manage the education for these children.
There are also many problems in the schools, already set up. A guardian of an Ananda School student in Khaliajuri upazila of Netrakona says, "The school often remains closed due to absence of teachers." She also complains that the centre management committee (CMC), responsible for running the school, resorts to nepotism in selecting teachers.
Among the chosen 60 upazilas for setting schools, there are many which are located in remote areas. And, in those places qualified teachers are not found. The teachers of these schools are irregular and impunctual, as they live far away from the schools. They are also poorly paid.
The annual monitoring report 2006 shows that 8.0 per cent of the teachers of the Ananda Schools receive below Tk 1,000 a month. One third of the schools conduct class-teaching for of less than three hours. One teacher teaches children from different classes at the same time in one classroom.
Jannatunnessa Begum, a teacher, says irregular attendance of the students is another problem. "Irregular students can't be given equal attention like the regular ones.
An expert says, "It would have been better had it been possible to do more. We've to keep in mind that we don't have the ability. We'll have to make our efforts within our capacities." He emphasises the need for teachers' training and playing of greater role by the upazila education officers.
There is another problem. Students of government primary schools are admitted to Ananda Schools only for the money given to them twice a year resulting in deprivation of the genuine disadvantaged children. The number of dropout children is also quite high.
ROSC project director in the hierarchy of the Primary Education Directorate AK Nazmuzzaman says, "We're moving ahead facing all these odds."
If the Ananda School project can be made successful addressing the existing problems, the country will achieve the MDG in education. Not only that, Bangladesh will also be free from illiteracy, an impediment to its development.
NewsNetwork