Dropout Students

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.

Special features.

In the traditional system of primary education primary schools, rote learning is the normal practice and the children feel bored in the classroom. On the other hand, some of the special features are as follows:

1. Well-being of learners is enquired after in the classroom.
2. Learners give news about the events that happened around their houses.
3. Group work is carried out.
4. In roll-call, only the number of a pupil is mentioned, not the name.
5. Children learn in groups.
6. The teacher listens to every learner’s reading.
7. In creative writing each learner has to draw a picture and write a description of it.
8. Reading record of learners is maintained.
9. Learners practice arithmetic individually.
10. Reading games are organized.
11. There is a weekly project.
12. Children draw pictures on the wall chart and in their books.
13. Learners do co-curricular activities twice a week.
14. The teacher gives concrete examples.
15. In order to increase vocabulary, the learner uses a dictionary.
16. Spelling is prohibited while a learner reads.
17. The teacher goes around to the learners.
18. Most of the time the teacher remains standing in the classroom.

Teachers help children

During their lessons, students study basic reading, writing and mathematics. They also learn a range of life skills, such as how to obtain healthcare, identify hazardous work, and understand their rights as children and other issues relevant to their situation. Classes are interactive, encouraging children to apply what they learn in their everyday lives.

Teachers help children develop their linguistic, social and cognitive skills through:

• story-telling
• singing
• indoor and outdoor games
• making toys from materials brought from home
• drawing
• show-and-tell
• question-and-answer sessions

Home of Primary Education

Welcome to the website of “Directorate of primary education”. This website contains information on all activities of Primary Education in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is situated to the eastern side of the Indian Subcontinent, flanked by India in The West, North and North-East and Myanmar to the South-East and Nepal slightly removed to the North. It is situated between 20 0 34′ and 26 0 38′ North Latitude and  88 0 01′ and 92 0 41′ East Longitude. It has an area of 147,570 Sq. Km. and a population of nearly 128 million. It has a population density of 867 persons per Sq. Km., which is the highest in world.
Bangladesh is a tropical country. Threaded by rivers, dotted with paddy fields and covered by lush green vegetation, Bangladesh is famous for its natural beauty. Due to the monsoon rainfall and the silt carried by the three great rivers, the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna, the soil of Bangladesh is also very fertile.

Bangladesh has a history of Mongoloid, Austro-Mongoloid and Austro Dravidian settlers. The People of the country have come to know as Bengalese. There are also minority tribal communities such as the Santhal, Chakma, Marma, Kol, Vil, Munda, Monipuri, Garo and Khasia.

With the highest density of population in the world and slow economic progress, the people of this country are trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty. Over 50% of the people who live below the poverty line are not able to provide for their basic needs and amenities.

Bangladesh runs one of the biggest primary education administrations in the world. Development of primary education poses a daunting challenge because of inaccessibility and resource constraint. Despite these constraints Bangladesh has achieved remarkable success in the field of literacy and primary education. The adult literacy rate (15 years and above) is now estimated 60%. The rate was 35% in 1991. It has taken decades to arrive at this level of literacy . In 1971, independent Bangladesh inherited an outdated education system developed by our previous rulers to suit their own socio-economic and political needs. The leaders of our newly independent country were burdened with the enormous and difficult responsibility of educating the people of the war-torn, devastated, and poor nation. But the nation, with its inspired freedom-movement, was pledged to discharge the responsibility.