Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) - The World Bank (WB) has approved US$300 million to strengthen pre-primary and primary education in Bangladesh, benefiting 26 million children through improved classrooms and learning materials.
The Board of Executive Directors of the WB Group approved the financing on Friday for the Learning Enhancement and Acceleration in Primary Education Programme, which will support the government’s Fifth Primary Education Development Programme, according to a press release issued by the WB on Saturday.
The financing will come from the International Development Association (IDA), the WB Group’s arm for lower-income countries. It has a 25-year term, including a five-year grace period.
Although Bangladesh has achieved near-universal access to primary education, ensuring quality remains a major challenge. About 50 per cent of 10-year-olds in the country are unable to read and understand a simple, age-appropriate text, compared with 42 per cent in Malaysia and 47 per cent in Brazil, both upper-middle-income countries.
“Quality primary education is one of the building blocks of a globally competitive workforce,” Jean Pesme, World Bank Division Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, said in the statement.
“For the past two decades, the World Bank Group has helped Bangladesh bring nearly all children into schools. This financing will help children learn better and stay in school, laying the foundation for better employment opportunities later in life,” he explained.
Bangladesh has one of the world’s largest primary education systems, with more than 20 million children enrolled in government schools, non-government organisation (NGO) schools, kindergartens and madrasas.
The programme will roll out a foundational literacy and numeracy package, with teaching materials, structured lesson plans and teacher training.
It will also support leadership training for headteachers in 90 per cent government primary schools and strengthen school management systems, according to the statement.
“Strong foundational learning is a critical step towards building the skills needed for better jobs. To ensure that no child is left behind, the programme will support remedial learning for those falling behind, with a focus on districts that are lagging furthest,” said Tashmina Rahman, World Bank Senior Education Specialist and team leader of the programme.
“It will also support improved teacher performance and school leadership, more accountable budget utilisation, and greater use of data to guide decision-making,” she added.
The programme will provide training and support to primary school teachers to improve the delivery of foundational literacy and numeracy lessons in government schools.
It is also expected to enhance the quality of pre-primary education in government primary schools, giving children a stronger foundation for learning and better preparing them for formal schooling.
The programme is expected to generate 843,000 additional, better-paid jobs in government primary schools, the statement added.
BBN/SSR/AD