If we search for better educational institutions to get our children enrolled in the city of Dhaka, we usually consider Viqarunnessa School, Rajuk School and College, Motijhell Ideal School, Notre Dame College and a few more. The same situation goes in the divisional or district towns i.e. parents search for these kinds of schools that have been established in the private sector. But there was a time when people opted for Zilla Schools or any kind of government schools for sending their children as they used to provide standard education. What does the present situation tell us?

Generally the state-run schools don’t perform as per the expectation of the guardians now as they did before. This is, of course, related to the overall degrading situation of the state. Privately run schools are operating better just like private hospitals. People who can afford private treatment never think of going to state-run hospitals, it is the same when it comes to education.  

When educational institutions are run by state, the job of the teachers becomes hundred percent secure. But unfortunately it happens without securing better education for the children. It is true when financial situation of the teachers is not ensured; they cannot concentrate on their professional activities. Our society perceives government job as prestigious, therefore when teachers either in the primary, secondary or tertiary level are state employees, society gives them special importance. Non-government teachers get negligible attention from our society. This picture impels teachers to get enlisted in the government registrar.  When they get registered with the government, their duties are relaxed. The state could not develop a system to ensure better and standard form of education in the state run institutions, although employment of the teachers has been guaranteed. The general expectation should be to ensure the job of the teachers and equally make them accountable for providing top quality education in the state run institutions. But things happen in an opposite manner.

Children’s education begins in primary (now pre-primary) schools and it is free and compulsory. But parallel primary and pre-primary education is run in the private sector in the name of Kindergartens. Guardians who can afford to send their children to these schools usually choose them over state run institutions in the hope that their child’s basic education will be standard compared to that of the poorly state run schools.

Our experiences draw a close similarity with the opinions of James Tooley, a former consultant of the World Bank. He was once struck by the ubiquity of private schools in Hyderabad, India. More interesting is, the private schools didn't thin out as he passed through poorer areas giving us a big indication that the poor are ready to pay for their children. This picture has assumed a common shape in most developing countries. This is a very common phenomenon that the lower level staff working in the hospitals and medical colleges cherishes a big dream in their hearts that their children would be doctors. Similarly, the soldiers or the junior commissioned officers in the army also hold dreams in their heart that their sons or daughters would be army officers in future and they get ready to spend any amount of money for their children’s education. Many parents see the fulfilment of their dream.  Tooley found the similar schools in some Asian and African countries where poor parents send their children to private schools. Now Tooley advocates that underdeveloped and developing countries education should be freed from the clutches of the government. He voiced the same thing when he came to attend an education seminar titled ‘Frugal Innovation Forum’ arranged by BRAC, Savar. Receiving education in government schools means careless implementation of the curriculum, more private tuition, lesser quality education, more irresponsible behavior and less accountable situation. The private schools largely depend on unqualified teachers receiving minimal salaries; still they outperform the state run schools. This is true not only in Bangladesh but also in many other countries.  BRAC Education has already proved this fact in the rural, haor and extreme haor areas by establishing fee paying schools both in the primary and secondary levels.

BRAC Education runs several secondary schools on pilot basis where children from poorer families get enrolled to receive quality education. The children coming from poor families are to pay their tuition fee that depends on the regional capacity of the parents such as in haor areas class six students are to pay Tk350 per month and in plain land it is Tk700 to 800. They do not receive any private tuition outside. Slow learners are given special care absolutely free of cost who attends special classes arranged either before school hour or after school hour.  Mixed group of learners are accommodated in the same class where the students with poorest grade point average in PECE examination dominate the class. These students get attention and care from these BRAC run schools and usually pass with flying colours in the future examinations (JSC examination). Of them the GPA-5 holders stand at forty per cent. It is quite an improvement as to that of the fourteen per cent in the national level last year (2016). We should not forget that the best performing schools of the country belong to this race where the students from the poorest background showed this performance.

James Tooley is now a passionate advocate for low-cost private schools in poor countries, and he serves as patron of the Association of Formidable Educational Development in Nigeria. He explains that his work involves supporting curriculum development, assessment and money-raising efforts; the schools are “funded by parental fees and sustainable at the individual level but can’t fund teacher training”. In April 2014, the Department for International Development published a “rigorous literature review” titled The Role and Impact of Private Schools in Developing Countries, led by researchers at the University of Birmingham and the Institute of Education. The review confirmed some of Tooley’s arguments, citing “strong evidence” that “teaching is better in private schools than in state schools, in terms of higher levels of teacher presence and teaching activity. Private school pupils achieve better learning outcomes”. Thus the thought about education is going on around the world. How it will be managed is a crucial point particularly in the developing nations. Better education is provided in most privately run educational institutions but the teachers’ position is not at par with the government teachers. When institutions and teachers are absolutely state employees, poor quality education is provided there. What should we do now? We must ensure teachers’ honorable situation in terms of financial security and social status. Side by side, topmost quality education must be disseminated in the state run educational institutions otherwise the system of nationalisation of educational institutions and teachers will lose its appeal.

The writer works for BRAC Education Programme and formerly taught in Cadet Colleges, Rajuk College and BOU.

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