Summary:

The present study has been conducted to clarify the relevance of basic education for children in the current social and economic context, so that a holistic strategy can be advocated for fundamental reforms in Bangladesh.

PREFACE

The present study has been conducted to clarify the relevance of basic education for children in the current social and economic context, so that a holistic strategy can be advocated for fundamental reforms in Bangladesh.

In this study we investigated people's perspectives from a rural and an urban area of Bangladesh, with a sample that was representative of various sections of the society, which is described in the section on Methodology. The opinions of 447 children and adults were taken and form the basis of this report.

The study is not an analysis of the different systems of quality education which are being practised by NGOs in Bangladesh, nor a base line survey or quantitative analysis by any stretch of imagination. It is also not a review of the 'success' of primary education as a result of the enormous efforts undertaken by the government and NGOs, which is already available among donros and large research organisations. On the other hand, this study focuses more on the impact or relevance of primary education from the perspectives of different categories of adult and child respondents, including those who suffer social exclusion in their day to day life. The purpose of this study is to use if for a particular kind of advocacy with policy makers, where views of the respondents regarding 'relevance' takes precedence over 'hard-facts' about the pattern of educational attainment nationally. As a result of the present study, many questions were raised and need to be addressed in future advocacy interventions.

A fundamental issue about ethics of development emerges as a result of this study. Ever since President Truman divided the world into 'developed' and 'undeveloped' countries, we have all been co-opted into this power game of making distinctions between 'us and them', the privileged country, class, caste, gender versus the less privileged, the ignorant and the 'community'. Many of these are intended or unintended alliances, formed globally, nationally and locally are based on a tacit agreement that 'our' power depends on 'their' weakness.

A brief comparison of low-income rural and urban 'community' perspectives with those of the elite in this study have revealed the underlying dynamics of power in the field of education, as anywhere else. It has also shifted the spotlight from 'them' to 'us'. Are we willing to look at ourselves critically and take responsibility for our action? Are 'we' willing to shift a little from the top and make a place for 'them'? These questions formed the basis for the second phase of the study. Operationally it meant taking a mroe balanced representation of higher and lower income groups of people and exploring the dynamics of power and control at the micro-level. We can then understand why we have been constantly self-defeating our efforts. We hope this study would serve as a starting point for debating and developing strategies for advocacy both at the national and global level. In the end 'Shikkha Chitro' (the picture of education) should certainly become clearer.

Previous Paper (general) items

• 10/10/2000: Goiania Declaration
• 01/08/2000: El papel de la Convención en la construcción de la política pública en México
• 01/06/2000: Agenda política sobre legislación de los derechos de niñas, niños y adolescentes
• 01/05/2000: Early Marriage: Whose Right to Choose?
• 01/01/2000: Growing Up Alone: childhood under siege

Organisation Contact Details:

Save the Children UK - Bangladesh Office
House 14, Road 16A, Gulshan 1, Dhaka -1212
Tel: +880 2 9861690, 8853994/ext. 117
Email: scfukbd@savethechildren-bd.org
Website: www.savethechildren.org.uk

Last updated 22/03/2001 06:23:01

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