Literacy rose in 20yrs: Campe
Over the last two decades, overall literacy attainment of the population increased while there has been a number of achievements in the primary education sector, revealed a Campaign for Popular Education (Campe) report yesterday afternoon.
In 2000, 58 percent of households had at least one literate person, which in 2013 increased to 81.4 percent, according to the report.
Enrollment rate, attendance, and competencies of students increased while both the dropout rate and total number of out-of-school children decreased, showed the study, “Education Watch 2015, Moving from MDG to SDG, Accelerate progress for Quality Primary Education”.
Launched at the LGED building in the capital's Agargaon, the report tried to identify trends in the primary education sector documented by various Education Watch studies carried out during 1999-2015.
Data of five previous studies carried out in 1998, 2000, 2005, 2008, and 2013 were used along with surveys in 663 primary education institutions, including government, newly nationalised and non-formal ones, ebtedai madrasas and kindergartens in 2014.
Tests on 27 types of competencies were carried out on 5,375 students in 309 primary education institutions and the results were presented by Samir Ranjan Nath, principal researcher of the study.
The assessment showed that students' competency has increased in mathematics and English more than it did in Bangla. Urban students outperformed rural students while government primary students performed better than those in the other four institutional categories.
Though girls could not outperform boys compared to the test results of 2000 and 2008 surveys, their attendance in class was higher.
The report also showed a higher teacher attendance, qualification and increase in the number of female teachers and head teachers.
Addressing the launching ceremony as chief guest, Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman told teachers not to work only for the salary but to teach students as part of their duty as citizens.
Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director, Campe, stressed the need for the education ministry to take up from the social welfare ministry the responsibility of educating persons with disabilities to make the system inclusive.
Hailing the success of primary education endeavours, Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud, member, UN Committee for Development Policy, said now it was time to look at the secondary education arena.
Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, former adviser to a caretaker government, said interest towards education can be seen among everyone now. He explained that people on their own accord were sending children to at least primary schools.
Dr Carolyn Sunners, team leader (education and health), DFID, Bangladesh, and Kazi Rafiqul Alam, chairperson of Campe, also spoke.
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