08 December 2009
An ongoing EU-funded project to set up 10,000 small schools in Bangladesh is putting more than 300,000 of the country’s poorest children into basic education.
Sixty per cent of them are girls in a country where, despite having one of the largest primary-age student populations in a developing country, poverty still keeps three million children out of school.
Video: Schools of hope:
Twelve year-old Jannatul reads English, recites poetry and sings with fellow pupils at the Child Learning Centre in the Sheorapara slum in Dhaka City.
Until recently her life did not include learning in a classroom but manning a roadside fruit stall from dawn to dusk.
She is just one beneficiary of the EU-funded flexible learning centres that are tailoring education to reach children – girls in particular – whose time and energy is focused on earning money for their families from an early age.
Now, Jannatul’s school day is sandwiched between two shifts by the main road that pay her 20 Taka (less than 20 pence) per day and keep her working until 9pm.
'Let me go to school'
Jannatul’s boss agreed to her attending the centre, but only after persuasion from her teacher and mother.
“Before, the stall owner did not let me go to school – but then madam came and talked to him and even Ma told him, you cannot stop her from going”, she says.
Part-time centres such as Jannatul’s are a lifeline for children unable to commit to lessons every day and challenging the family tradition that girls work while boys study.
Professor Rezina Sultana, former principal of a teacher training college in Dhaka says, “Families still have high hopes for their boys, but don’t expect much for their daughters, so if they see something is more flexible they are willing to give their girls a chance."
“I like everything about school – the dancing, poetry and singing. We are also taught how to stay clean and comb our hair,” Jannatul says.
In alleyways close to the centre, clusters of young children play in the dust. Many of the older ones say they do not go to school.
Jannatul has ambitions to land a highly-prized job but is bound to remain working on the fruit stall to support her mother, Tajmohal, and five siblings for a while yet.
Tajmohal says: “I have to save, and I have to give a dowry for their marriages. We have no choice.”
Facts and stats
The European Commission contributes about €130 million to support primary education in Bangladesh. This includes €105 million for the Bangladeshi government to support the formal education sector over seven years (2004 – 2010) and €27 million to back non-formal schooling over four years (2006-2010).
• The EU-funded non formal primary education projects are on track to provide education to around 320,000 children in approximately 10,000 schools. Girls make up 192,000 of these.
• In many urban slums and rural villages where non-formal learning centres operate, there are no other schools at all. They often provide the only opportunity for poor children to complete primary education.
• The small classes, female role models and creative approach of the non-formal learning centres make them attractive to girls and ideal for children with learning difficulties.
• The fact that they are closely monitored means they are less likely to drop out. An estimated 90 per cent of these children go on to secondary school
• There are about 19 million primary school-aged children in Bangladesh – one of the largest student populations in a developing country.
• Around three million children (half of them girls) miss out on state primary education as a result of poverty. (Source: UNGEI)