Education Management | Articles on Education of Bangladesh | Articles on Education of Bangladesh

Abstract: The goal of this exploratory research project is to gather data on head teachers’ leadership perceptions and practices, so that educational researchers, government officials and head teachers themselves have a better understanding of leadership and management in Bangladeshi high schools. Such data is critical for gaining a better understanding of leadership in Bangladesh and for future head teacher development and school improvement.

Leaders can play a very important role in improving teaching and learning in schools. Many Western countries are interested in the power of leadership to generate and sustain school improvement. Bangladeshi schools strive to improve, to develop effective teaching and raise the achievement of students. Much depends on the vision and practices of the head teachers who lead the schools. This study explores the leadership concepts, styles, trends and current practices of the head teachers in four Bangladeshi private secondary schools both in rural and urban areas.

Findings of this study show that Bangladeshi school leaders have vision for school improvement. They lead their schools with managerial and democratic styles of leadership. They work for professional development inside the school with a view to improve the teaching and learning process. Students’ achievement is their ultimate goal. They work under pressure with their skill of handling different kinds of adverse situation like bureaucratic complex, political influence, and shortage of human and physical resources.  

MASUM BILLAH

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Regional disparities in education have evinced this year’s Education Watch report as a key factor lying in the educational arena of our country. They targeted Sylhet division which is characterized by affluence and poverty, plain land and haor, tea estates and sophisticated urbanity. Very interesting pictures have come out through the research and recommendations made by the organization will provide ample food for thought for the policy makers in the field of education of our country.

Both in the primary and secondary levels the enrolment in Sylhet proves much lower than the national average. They stand 80.5% at primary and 64.2% in the secondary level whereas the national figures show 86.4% and 77.7% respectively. In terms of literacy rate also it lags far behind the national average. The literacy rate for 7+ populations is 40.7% and for adult population it is 44.4% but the national rates are 48.5% and 52.1% respectively. It was also found that there 30.8% households which don’t see any literate person but this figure for the whole Bangladesh stands as 11.5%. These figures at the basic levels of education call for a serious concern for the national policy makers.

Economic deprivation and social inequalities arising from their geographical isolation keep their children away from school and education. Although the overall economic situation is better than the rest of Bangladesh, there is a likelihood that due to the geographical reasons the inequality in income distribution gets worse in Sylhet. Compared to 38.5% overall in Sylhet division, more than half of the haor communities (54% under study) had only kancha road. The head teachers reported that over a fifth of the students had to face bad transportation during dry season which doubled in the wet season. The situation proves worse in rural Sunamgonj and in the haor areas. The practice of child labour stands as a major reason  for  drooping out from schools.

Generally children of these areas start going to school late compared to other parts of the country, they also drop out earlier than others. The age-specific enrolment rates in Sylhet   are lower for all ages compared to the national averages.   65% of children of age six are enrolled in schools in other parts of the country on an average but it is   52% in Sylhet division. Many parents are not aware at all about age of admission to school .By the age of 15 years  half of the children of the plane   lands, 60% of those of haro areas  and 73% of those in the tea estates/ hills/ forests are out of school. The comparative national figure is less than 40%. A portion of the parents are unable to bear the cost of education and other children engaged in income earning activities too early. Poor teaching leaning provisions and lack of care in schools are also important reasons  for leaving school which the study unveils.

MIRON KUMAR BHOWMIK and DOMINIC REGESTER

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The globalised nature of today’s world has created the opportunity for school students to explore other societies, make friends and work with young people from different backgrounds to find solutions to global problems. By building international school partnerships, British Council’s Connecting Classrooms Project is strenghthening global trust and creating a safer and more connected world for the future. Connecting Classrooms project has linked 90 Bangladeshi schools in 18 clusters of 5 schools with clusters of schools from across the UK. The schools are working together to prepare young people for life and work and to help them play an active role in their communities.  The projects that students work on together is giving them the skills and confidence to seek more opportunities and choices in their lives. Activities under Connecting Classrooms project are divided into five major components. Two of these, International Curriculum Projects and Social Action Projects, were mainly conducted in both Bangladeshi schools and UK schools. International Curriculum Projects allow students to get acquainted with their partner schools and engage students in international projects, while Social Action Projects encourage students to get involved in the community and state their concerns about global issues. Here are some case studies of different schools and their experience in participating in the Connecting Classrooms projects:

Celebrating Cultural Diversity with a particular focus on Pollution and the environment (Barisal and Swansea Schools)
The students from Barisal could barely control their excitement as the box filled with goodies arrived at their school. Maps, school mascots, artwork, photos, recipes, traditional games, CDs of music, each item had something to reflect the culture and heritage of their partnered schoolmates. The box was posted from Wales as part of their “Cultural Diversity in a Box” presentation. The result was indeed outstanding; students from both Wales and Barisal stated that they had a comprehensive exposure to the other country and a deeper appreciation of the differences and similarities between the two cultures.