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Find out more »Project Summary
Aim:
To help local communities set up early childhood centres and community learning centres where young children can enjoy early learning activities and older children can attend after school lessons to ensure they do not fall behind
Region:
Communities in Sreepur district
Project Duration:
Phase 1 FY03-FY05; Phase 2 FY06-FY08; Phase 3 FY09-FY11
Total Public Funds Required:
AU$100,000
Children living in Bangladesh, especially those from poor rural communities, often struggle at school where classrooms are severely overcrowded and corporal punishment and bullying are rife. Through Plan's Community Learning Action priority project, these marginalised children are improving their academic results and are also helping to make their schools safe and inspiring places to learn.
Make a donation to the Community Learning Action Project in Bangladesh
Why quality education for children in rural areas of Bangladesh is a priority
In Bangladesh, going to school can be a frightening experience. Teaching is by rote learning and children may suffer a beating for simply asking a question or making a mistake. Children from poor rural communities are often first generation learners and struggle to keep up. Labeled as 'slow learners' by their teachers and classmates, they are also repeatedly bullied.
Of the 16.5 million children enrolled each year in government primary schools, around 40 per cent drop out, usually in grade four or five. Very few children – less than 10 out of every 100 students – complete secondary school, which leaves millions of children without an education and destined to a life of poverty.
What is being done
Plan's Community Learning Action priority project supports rural communities to provide early childhood care and learning, and formal education opportunities for their children. Parents and community volunteers link families to early childhood services, set up early learning spaces for young children and set up out-of-school sessions or 'Learning Camps' for older children.With the main focus being on primary school students, the Learning Camps are run as before or after school tuition sessions, which are aligned with the national curriculum. Sessions are run by a Plan-trained tutor, usually a high school graduate. Teaching uses child-friendly, problem-solving and interactive learning techniques that have been adopted by some schools following lobbying by parents.
The academic results of children who attend Learning Camps have been staggering with many children who previously struggled at school, now getting top marks. As a result, many rural children can graduate to high school and then on to future job opportunities.
What has been achieved so far
Since 2001, Plan has provided early learning activities for pre-schoolers and basic education support through Learning Camps in three districts (Naushingdi, Satkira and Jessore) with 26,332 children attending Learning Camps in 2008 alone. Communities are now ready for Plan to support them to take over running the project activities themselves. This approach now allows Plan, and its local partners, to begin the process of establishing the project in Sreepur in central Bangladesh, one of the poorest regions. In addition, this achievement will enable a more broader coverage of Community Learning Action and will help strengthen Plan’s push for punishment-free schools and interactive learning for all children in Bangladesh.
