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How ADB Is Helping the Poor in Bangladesh
Education
Updated December 2006

Bangladesh Improves Primary Education

Hua Du, Country Director for ADB's Resident Mission in Bangladesh, meets students of a primary school supported under PEDP-II.

The Government of Bangladesh is implementing the Second Primary Education Development Program (PEDP-II) under a sector-wide program approach (SWAP) supported by 11 development partners, with ADB as the lead agency. Launched in July 2004, PEDP-II aims to provide quality primary education to all eligible children in the country and contribute to sustainable socioeconomic development, and equity as envisaged in the MDGs.

PEDP-II promotes comprehensive policy reforms, including improving governance and results-based monitoring, focusing on quality, equity, and institutional reforms. Key program policies focus on developing and implementing strategies and action plans for inclusive education, establishing national assessment cell, conducting national assessment to benchmark student achievements, and establishing a primary education cadre. The program emphasizes classroom construction, teacher recruitment, teacher and school management training, timely supply of instructional materials, and filling critical vacancies. A mechanism to undertake regular policy dialogue among the Government, development partners, and other stakeholders has also been established.

Inputs and reforms, with support from school management committees comprising community representatives and parents are helping schools: convert from double to single shift to increase student contact hours; reduce the student-teacher ratio; introduce child-centered teaching, and promote learning. To ensure sustainable results, governance is being considered in a broader framework for policy reforms by developing a governance strategy for the program.

The program has achieved significant Implementation progress in its first two years, with the Government’s leadership and ownership. Harmonization among the Government and development partners was achieved, particularly in common procurement, financial management, monitoring and evaluation, reporting, auditing, financial management, planning, budgeting, and joint review.

Reflecting improvement in the program's governance, the Government has already introduced some key reforms:

• transparent teacher recruitment and deployment
• improved financial management
• community monitoring and participation in civil works and school management
• harmonized reporting

Key priorities for reforms during FY2006-07 are:

• implementing school level improvement plans
• providing innovation grants
• promoting professional development
• improving results based monitoring

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Second Primary Education Sector

This project has assisted in

• developing primary education facilities in underserved areas in Barisal, Chittagong, and Sylhet divisions of Bangladesh, developing institutional capacity at the national Curriculum and Textbook Board
• providing textbooks and other instructional materials to students in Barisal, Chittgaong, and Sylhet divisions
• supporting teacher training and student assessment

About 850,000 children are benefiting from new accessible or improved facilities, and about 3.0 million children are experiencing an improved learning environment in rehabilitated and properly maintained schools.

An estimated 250,000 very poor students, especially girls and tribal students, have been provided increased opportunities to enroll and stay in school through provision of free school supplies. The project has helped improve the quality of primary education and benefit about 6.0 million primary students, including 2.8 million girls, through provision of in-service teacher training, textbooks, and other instruction materials.

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Secondary Education Sector Improvement

This project is assisting the Government in reforming and restructuring secondary education, improving effectiveness in the use of education resources, enhancing quality of education and ensuring its relevance to the world of work, and contributing to equitable access for females and students in underserved areas.

It will enable approximately 10 million students (about 4.5 million girls) to enroll in secondary education. The students will benefit from improved quality of education, thus graduating with better examination scores and more appropriate and employable skills.

About 765,000 person-years of education will be provided for girls living in disadvantaged thanas (sub districts), and 35,000 poor students in underserved areas will be able to enroll in new secondary schools. The focus on girls and underserved populations will redress current disadvantages and lead to more equity in access to wage and self-employment income opportunities.

The improved quality of education is helping to contribute to human development and improved status of women by increasing the number of students qualified for higher education, improving living standards and health, reducing population growth, and providing people with means of engaging in productive employment.

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Post-Literacy and Continuing Education

This project is helping to establish an effective, community based post-literacy and continuing education (PLCE) program which will increase literacy skills, social awareness, and income-generation capacity for learners in rural areas of Bangladesh who have acquired basic literacy skills in one of the nonformal education programs implemented with ADB assistance.

Approximately 1.6 million learners will benefit by participating in needs-based PLCE as a result of enhanced income-earning opportunities, improved health and nutrition practices, and greater social awareness of learners. At least 50 percent of the direct beneficiaries will be women. Indirect beneficiaries will be the families of participating learners, staff of involved NGOs and other private sector organization, staff of Directorate of Nonformal Education, and businesses in rural areas.

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